Anti-IgD antibody reacts with surface immunoglobulin IgD delta chains. This antibody is useful when identifying leukemias, plasmacytomas, and B-cell lineage derived lymphomas (in particular Marginal Zone Lymphoma). Cytoplasmic staining is easily identified on paraffin tissue. Surface immunoglobulin is difficult to demonstrate on paraffin sections but can be demonstrated on frozen sections.
Little is known about the normal function of IgD, and few clinical signs or symptoms are associated with its absence. Individuals with low or absent levels of IgD do not appear unusually predisposed to infections. In mice, IgD may substitute for some functions of IgM when IgM is absent. IgD is expressed on peripheral B cells and is used as a pan B cell marker.Synonyms: Human Immunoglobulin D