Human blood types are determined by?
Blood! The very mention of the word brings to mind images of needles and vials. But did you know that our blood is more than just a red liquid that flows through our veins? It’s also classified into different types, based on the presence or absence of certain molecules called “antigens”. In this article, we’ll explore what exactly these antigens are, how they determine your blood type, and why it matters.
What are Antigens?
Antigens are large complex molecules found on cell surfaces. They can be proteins, carbohydrates or even lipids – but what makes them interesting is their role in recognizing foreign substances such as bacteria or viruses. These invaders introduce new antigens into our body which triggers an immune response to produce antibodies against them for defense purposes.
Pro Tip: Next time you bump into a germaphobe; feel free to impress them with your knowledge about antigens
Blood Typing
The major classification system for human blood typing involves two factors: ABO grouping and Rh grouping.
ABO Grouping
ABO grouping refers to the antigen present on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs) which come in 4 main varieties- A,B,O & AB. This grouping depends upon various alleles dominating one over another causing intricate cobweb-like manipulation giving rise to different phenotypes expressed externally such as ‘A’ blood group individuals have only antigen ‘A’ on RBCs while those with ‘B’ – have only antigen ‘B’. People having both antigens make up ‘AB’ category meanwhile those lacking any antigen form O-category.
| Blood Type | Antigen Present |
|---|---|
| O | None |
| A | A |
| B | B |
| AB | Both |
It’s easier if we were to compare it with a simple colour pallet which consisted of 4 basic and strongest colours Magenta, Yellow, Cyan & Black.
Rh Grouping
The Rh system refers to the presence or absence of yet another antigen on the RBCs called Rh factor. This factor determines whether you have positive (+) or negative (-) blood type. If your blood cells contain this antigen, then you are said to be “Rh-positive”. On the other hand if these antigens are absent- You’re categorized as ‘Rh-negative’
Pro Tip: Impress your friends by reciting their blood group correctly—It’s worth double checking though!
Inheriting Blood Type
Blood typing is inherited genetically from our parents in a similar fashion as Mendelian traits. It’s more prevalent among Caucasians where people tend to emphasize upon one’s lineage before marriage.
Here’s how it works;
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Each parent contributes an ABO allele (either A,B,O) for child making it possible for them to inherit different alleles.
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However, when alleles aren’t uniform as sometimes happens then certain types may dominate over others resulting in strong likelihoods of few probable non-uniformity characteristics expressed externally on red blood cells creating transfusion difficulties.
| Parent’s Blood Type | Probability of Child’s Blood Type |
|---|---|
| O and O | O |
| A and B | AB |
| B and O | B/O |
Pro Tip: Now we know what they mean by family bloodline since each member inherits certain traits while growing through generations that become recognizable during medical care procedures requiring patients’ complete history records such hereditary conditions/traits often get conflated causing issues later down the line
As mentioned earlier having incompatible antibodies can cause severe life-threatening situations especially during emergencies like blood transfusions which is why blood type compatibility becomes crucial.
When mismatched blood of different types compatible with its recipient’s antibodies containing the enzyme, then it can cause clumping or destruction, leading to severe complications or even death say when Blood Group A RBCs are introduced into a body having representatives from Blood B group itself promoting ruptures.
Pro Tip: You don’t ever want your Red Blood Cells to start fighting among themselves. The consequences could be red and violent
Knowing one’s blood type isn’t just good for understanding generic inheritance patterns but also finding suitable donors during medical emergencies where significant loss has been faced by patients involving unnecessary risks as whole medical processes fall apart causing distressful situations further adding to gravities , What we may often over look in normal daily lives could someday become our biggest asset while saving someone’s existence by knowing their unusual/required emergency attentions based on the presence of any special antigens in certain people
Pro Tip: If you’re planning skydiving without backup & insurance; donate some rare form of Rh Factor antigens so that in case an unknown disaster happens latter requiring immediate transfusion -You will have undivided attention & safer treatments than others!
And Finally
Blood typing is something we should all know about. It’s not just limited to cringe-worthy needle procedures at your local hospital but rather identifying life-saving properties that exist within each of us like tiny microscopic protectors dependant upon alien microorganisms invading our bodies ultimately making up what seems like a small part of ourselves-much more like multi-layer security checks…one missing block before final activation results into failure whereas alertly following every prompt satisfies protocols effectively protecting unified systems i.e., Us !
So remember next time you hear talk about ‘blood types’…they aren’t talking about vampires…yet.