An antigen is any substance that reacts with lymphocytes, while immunogens generate immune responses. Haptens are small molecules that require coupling to carriers to induce responses. Antibody-antigen binding depends on weak interactions between sites on antibodies and epitopes on antigens. Antibodies are produced with a wide variety of binding sites to recognize different antigenic determinants. Factors like foreignness, size, structure, and route of administration influence a substance's immunogenicity.