But since discovering this group of proteins in the early 1960s, scientists have found about 600 other proteins. These letters describe the first protein group that was discovered on red blood cells. As scientists learned more about these proteins, they also figured out how to safely perform organ and tissue transplants. And these transfusion reactions became a thing of the past. Once they identified blood types, healthcare providers were able to match donor and recipient blood types. While that function is usually very helpful, it can also cause serious problems.īefore scientists discovered these proteins, people used to have severe reactions to blood transfusions - but no one knew why. Instead, it will attack anything that shouldn’t be in your body. That way, your immune system doesn’t attack your own blood cells. Over time, your body will make antibodies only against the proteins that your blood cells don’t have. So even though there are four components in your blood, only the red blood cells determine your blood type. Your blood type describes the specific proteins that exist on your red blood cells. What does it mean to have a certain blood type? Platelets: These are cell fragments that form blood clots. Red blood cells: These cells carry oxygen to the rest of your body. White blood cells: These cells fight off infections. Plasma: This is the “liquid” of your blood, which contains immunoglobulins, coagulation factors, and other important proteins. ![]() Let’s start with the basics: What exactly is blood anyway? Your blood - that red liquid that comes out when you get a cut - is made up of four things: Here’s everything you’ve always wanted to know about blood types. So you might be wondering what your blood type actually means. Knowing your blood type can also help you decide if you should donate blood, which is especially during blood shortages. For example, there’s ongoing research into whether your blood type can provide information about things like food sensitivities or whether you’re more likely to contract malaria or have complications from COVID-19. There are plenty of practical reasons to know your blood type. At some point, most people learn this important and unique information about themselves. You might have found out your blood type from a finger prick in science class, a test before a medical procedure, or perhaps your parents told you. But Type A blood can result from two different genotypes of AA and AO.There are a number of different ways to learn your blood type. The type O blood phenotype can only result from one genotype of OO. ![]() In the example above, there are 2 phenotypes of Type A blood and Type O blood. Scientists use the term phenotype to refer to what gene is actually expressed. ![]() AA, AO and OO are the 3 genotypes that may result from the mating of the parents in the example above. Scientists use the term genotype to refer to the combination of mother and father genes in the person's make up. When that happens, instead of the child expressing the A blood type, he will instead express the O blood type. However, in 1 out of 4 instances, both parents will contribute their recessive O gene to their child. If one parent contributes and A gene and the other contributes an O gene, the child will have A blood type, but, like his parents, he'll also have both A and O genes that he may pass along to his children. The child can only pass on an A gene to his offspring. In this case, the child is "pure-bred" for the A gene. ![]() When both father and mother contribute an A gene, their child has Type A blood. On the other hand, if the mother's blood type is A, and the father's is B, the child could be ANY of the four blood types A, B, AB or O so its ability to predict paternity is minimal in this case. For instance, if both mother and alleged father have type A blood, then the child can only have A or O blood. If the Mother's blood type is B, and the father's blood type is O, then their child must be either B or O.
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