To the main pageWrite usSite map

Genetics of blood groups

   Human blood group is a description of individual antigenic characteristics of red blood cells, determined by methods of identifying specific groups of carbohydrates and proteins included in the membrane of human and animal red blood cells.

 

   One person's red blood cells can carry molecules that act as antigens (substances that the human body considers foreign or potentially dangerous and against which it begins to produce its own antibodies), while another person's red blood cells may not contain such antigens.

 


   
The term "blood group" describes systems of red blood cell antigens controlled by specific loci containing different numbers of allelic genes, such as A, B and 0 in the AB0 system. The term "blood type" refers to the antigenic phenotype of a person (a complete antigenic "portrait" or antigenic profile) - a set of all group antigenic characteristics of blood.

blood group, antibodies, antigens, alleles, phenotype, ABO system, Rh system

     The International Society of Blood Transfusion currently recognizes 29 major blood group systems. The two most important classifications of human blood groups are the AB0 system and the Rh system. However, the membrane of human erythrocytes contains more than 300 different antigenic determinants, the molecular structure of which is encoded by the corresponding gene alleles of chromosomal loci. The number of such alleles and loci is currently not precisely established.

 

    Thus, in addition to ABO and Rhesus antigens, there are many other antigens.

 

    For example, a person can be AB RhD-positive, and at the same time M and N-negative (MNS system), K-positive (Kell system) and Lea- or Leb-negative (Lewis system). Many blood group systems were named after the patient in whom the corresponding antibodies were first identified (these are soluble glycoproteins present in the blood serum that are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects).

Latest news in illness

Latest in Glossary of terms


Glossary of terms

AllABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Groups of genetic diseases

Diseases of protein metabolism    Autosomal Dominant Disorder    Autosomal recessive diseases    Chromosome syndromes    Diseases inoculated with the X-chromosome    Diseases of carbohydrate metabolism    Diseases of lipid metabolism    Polygenic diseases