Antibodies play an essential role in host defence against pathogens by recognizing microorganisms or infected cells. Although preventing pathogen entry is one potential mechanism of protection, antibodies can control and eradicate infections through a variety of other mechanisms. In addition to binding and directly neutralizing pathogens, antibodies drive the clearance of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites via their interaction with the innate and adaptive immune systems, leveraging a remarkable diversity of antimicrobial processes locked within our immune system. Specifically, antibodies collaboratively form immune complexes that drive sequestration and uptake of pathogens, clear toxins, eliminate infected cells, increase antigen presentation and regulate inflammation. The diverse effector functions that are deployed by antibodies are dynamically regulated via differential modification of the antibody constant domain, which provides specific instructions to the immune system. Here, we review mechanisms by which antibody effector functions contribute to the balance between microbial clearance and pathology and discuss tractable lessons that may guide rational vaccine and therapeutic design to target gaps in our infectious disease armamentarium.

抗体通过识别微生物或受感染的细胞，在宿主防御病原体方面发挥重要作用。尽管防止病原体进入是一种潜在的保护机制，但抗体可以通过多种其他机制控制和根除感染。除了结合和直接中和病原体之外，抗体还通过与先天性和适应性免疫系统的相互作用，利用我们免疫系统中锁定的显着多样性的抗菌过程来驱动细菌、病毒、真菌和寄生虫的清除。具体来说，抗体协同形成免疫复合物，驱动病原体的隔离和摄取、清除毒素、消除受感染的细胞、增加抗原呈递并调节炎症。抗体发挥的多种效应功能通过抗体恒定结构域的差异修饰进行动态调节，从而为免疫系统提供特定指令。在这里，我们回顾了抗体效应器功能有助于微生物清除和病理学之间平衡的机制，并讨论了可指导合理的疫苗和治疗设计以弥补我们传染病军备库中的空白的易于处理的经验教训。