Inheritance of blood group (AB) in humans & Steps of determining of a blood group type

Despite of blood components are constant in all humans , but they differ in blood groups, Scientists classify blood groups into four groups which are: A, B, AB and O, The 14th day of June is the universal day of blood donation, This day agrees with birthday of Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner , the discoverer of blood groups .

Genetic classification of blood groups

Inheritance of blood groups is controlled by three types of genes called alternatives ( allels ) , from which the individual inherits one pair only that carried on that carried on the 9th chromosomes pair in all humans, these genes are symbolized by letters A, B and O.

These are only four phenotypes for the six genotypes , which are A , B , AB and O because the allel O is recessive in respect for both allels A and B .

The dominance is lacked among the two allels A and B in the genotype AB , Genotypes can be determined by following up the phenotypes of parents and offspring .

Inheritance of blood groups represents the cases of multiple allels , complete dominance and lack of dominance :

Multiple allels : There are three allelomorphic genes A, B and O ( the individual has only one pair of them ) .

Complete dominance : Both genes A and B dominate over the gene O.

Lack of dominance : The genes A and B do not dominate over each other, but they participate in the production of a new blood group , which is AB.

Example : A man with blood group ( A B ) was married a woman has blood group ( O ) , The expected blood groups of children are ( A ) and ( B ) .

Two newborn are exchanged in a hospital , each of them belongs to one of the following families :

  • The first family : Blood groups of parents are A and AB , and the blood group of baby is O , The second family : Blood groups of parents are B and O , and the blood group of baby is B .
  • The first family can not give birth a baby has O blood group , The second family can give birth a baby of blood group B or O , By Knowing that each family gave birth one baby only , the baby with blood group O is the son of the second family and the baby of B blood group is the son of the first family .
The scientific ( chemical ) classification of blood groups
Blood groups

Blood groups

Blood groups are classified into four groups depending upon two types of chemical substances found in the blood , which are :

  • Antigens are found on the surface of red blood cells , they are two types which are Antigens A and Antigens B .
  • Antibodies are antithetic to antigens and found in blood plasma , They are two types which are Anti-a and Anti-b .
Blood groups

Blood groups

Blood transfusion process

Blood can be transfused among different groups according to a special system due to the presence of antigens and antibodies .

Determination of blood groups types :

Each group of blood has certain antigens and their corresponding antibodies that agglutinate with them, For example,  Antigens (A) are agglutinated with antibodies ( anti-a).

The type of a blood group can be determined through the reactions occur between antigens and antibodies and the occurrence of agglutination of blood , Therefore , for determining a blood group both types of antibodies ( anti-a ) and ( anti-b ) are needed .

Steps of determining of a blood group type

Two drops of blood of the person to be determining his blood group are placed separately at the ends of a glass slide , We put anti-a on the first blood drop and anti-b on the second blood drop and we separately mix each of them throughly , we observe that the blood may be agglutinated ( + ) or does not agglutinate ( – ) .

Blood group ( O ) is called universal donor because it donates blood to all blood groups as it contains no antigens A and B .

Blood group ( AB ) is called universal receiver because it receives blood from all blood groups as it is devoid of both types of antibodies ( anti-a ) and ( anti-b).

Risks of blood transfusion , Importance of studying blood groups and Rhesus factor ( Rh )

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Heba Soffar

Heba Soffar is a Telecommunication Engineer and the founder, editor, and content manager of Science Online, a leading educational and technology-focused platform dedicated to providing accurate, reliable, and easy-to-understand scientific information. With an academic background in Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering from Alexandria University, Heba combines technical expertise with advanced digital publishing skills to create high-quality content for a global audience. Over the years, she has developed extensive experience in scientific writing, search engine optimization (SEO), website management, content strategy, and digital publishing. Her work focuses on transforming complex scientific, medical, technological, and engineering concepts into engaging and accessible articles that help readers stay informed about the latest developments in science and technology.

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