Download HANDOUT: HUMAN BLOOD GROUPS

HANDOUT: HUMAN BLOOD GROUPS
Lab Test Results
Definitions
Antigen: any substance that stimulates an immune response
in the body (especially the production of antibodies)
Antibody: proteins (made by white blood cells) that are found in
blood or other bodily fluids of vertebrates, and are used by the
immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects, such
as bacteria and viruses
Agglutination: clumping of bacteria or red cells when held
together by antibodies
Rh Factor
•
The Rh factor gene is also inherited from our parents,
but it is inherited independently of the ABO blood type
alleles (separate gene).
– There are 2 different alleles for the Rh factor
known as Rh+ and Rh-.
– Rh+ is dominant to Rh-.
– Rh factor antibodies are smaller than anti-A
and anti-B antibodies and can cross the placenta
from mother to fetus.
Practice problems
1. A woman who is known to have Type B blood marries a man who has Type A blood. They have 5 children, all with type AB
blood. What are the most probable parental genotypes?
2. If these parents from question #1 had a 6th child whose blood type is O, would your answer change?
Why?
3. A woman with O- blood has children with a man with A+ blood. The man’s mother is known to have B- blood.
a) What is the woman’s genotype?
b) What is the man’s genotype?
c) What are the genotypic and phenotypic ratios of their potential offspring? (Show all work!)