The blood types a, b, ab, and o are the result of________ inheritance?
All humans and many other primates can be typed for the ABO blood group. There are four principal types: A, B, AB, and O. There are two antigens and two antibodies that are mostly responsible for the ABO types. The specific combination of these four components determines an individual's type in most cases. The table below shows the possible permutations of antigens and antibodies with the corresponding ABO type ("yes" indicates the presence of a component and "no" indicates its absence in the blood of an individual).
ABO
Blood Type
Antigen
A Antigen
B Antibody
anti-A Antibody
Anti-B
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A yes no no yes
B no yes yes no
O no no yes yes
AB yes yes no no
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For example, people with type A blood will have the A antigen on the surface of their red cells (as shown in the table below). As a result, anti-A antibodies will not be produced by them because they would cause the destruction of their own blood. However, if B type blood is injected into their systems, anti-B antibodies in their plasma will recognize it as alien and burst or agglutinate the introduced red cells in order to cleanse the blood of alien protein.
ABO
Blood Type
Antigen
A Antigen
B Antibody
anti-A Antibody
Anti-B
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A yes no no yes
B no yes yes no
O no no yes yes
AB yes yes no no
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Individuals with type O blood do not produce ABO antigens. Therefore, their blood normally will not be rejected when it is given to others with different ABO types. As a result, type O people are universal donors for transfusions, but they can receive only type O blood themselves. Those who have type AB blood do not make any ABO antibodies. Their blood does not discriminate against any other ABO type. Consequently, they are universal receivers for transfusions, but their blood will be agglutinated when given to people with every other type because they produce both kinds of antigens.
ABO
Blood Type
Antigen
A Antigen
B Antibody
anti-A Antibody
Anti-B
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A yes no no yes
B no yes yes no
O no no yes yes
AB yes yes no no
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It is easy and inexpensive to determine an individual's ABO type from a few drops of blood. A serum containing anti-A antibodies is mixed with some of the blood. Another serum with anti-B antibodies is mixed with the remaining sample. Whether or not agglutination occurs in either sample indicates the ABO type. It is a simple process of elimination of the possibilities. For instance, if an individual's blood sample is agglutinated by the anti-A antibody, but not the anti-B antibody, it means that the A antigen is present but not the B antigen. Therefore, the blood type is A.
It can all so be called Genetic Inheritance
I think this is better and shorter
The blood types A, B, AB, and O are the result of genetic inheritance. To understand this, we need to look at the ABO blood group system.
The ABO blood group system is determined by the presence or absence of certain antigens (proteins) on the surface of red blood cells. There are two important antigens: A antigen and B antigen. These antigens are controlled by three alleles (variations) of a single gene called the ABO gene: A, B, and O.
- Blood type A: A antigen is present on the surface of red blood cells. This blood type is determined by having two copies of the A allele (AA) or a combination of A and O alleles (AO).
- Blood type B: B antigen is present on the surface of red blood cells. This blood type is determined by having two copies of the B allele (BB) or a combination of B and O alleles (BO).
- Blood type AB: Both A and B antigens are present on the surface of red blood cells. This blood type is determined by having one copy of the A allele and one copy of the B allele (AB).
- Blood type O: Neither A nor B antigens are present on the surface of red blood cells. This blood type is determined by having two copies of the O allele (OO).
The inheritance of blood types follows certain rules:
1. If both parents have blood type A, then their children can have blood types A or O.
2. If both parents have blood type B, then their children can have blood types B or O.
3. If one parent has blood type A and the other has blood type B, then their children can have blood types A, B, AB, or O.
4. If one parent has blood type A or B and the other has blood type O, then their children can have blood types A or B.
5. If both parents have blood type O, then their children can only have blood type O.
By understanding the inheritance of alleles and knowing the blood types of the parents, we can determine the possible blood types of their children.