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Medical Definition of Idiotope
1. An antigenic determinant (epitope) unique to a single clone of cells and located in the variable region of the immunoglobulin product of that clone or to the T-cell receptor. The idiotope forms part of the antigen binding site. Any single immunoglobulin may have more than one idiotope. Idiotopes are also associated with the antigen binding sites of T-cell receptors. They are the epitopes to which an anti-idiotype antibody or T-cell binds. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)