This process enables the body to rapidly respond to a second infection by the same antigen. This is done by lymphocytes express antigen receptors in their plasma membranes. While each lymphocyte expresses only one kind of antigen receptor, it is able to bind to only one kind of antigen and the entire population of lymphocytes in the body can recognize a variety of different kinds of antigen. Another important property in immunity, is the discrimination between self and non-self among the lymphocytes. One way in which the generation of immune responses against self-antigens is prevented is by deleting lymphocytes communicating with antigen receptors that recognize self before they enter the circulation as functional, mature lymphocytes.
Antibodies come from plasma cells and are produced by B cells.
The production of antibodies is a very long and complicated process, which mainly consists of B cells, T cells, and plasma cells. There are two broad classes of immune response, the humoral immune responses and the cell-mediated immune responses. Some properties, which are important in immunity, are antigen recognition and discrimination between self and non-self. Without antibodies, people would only be able to live for a short time because there would not be anything to stop disease, or infection from killing a person. The most outstanding breakthrough in scientific research of antibodies has been the treatment of cancer with monoclonal antibodies.