I have type 0- blood, which has no antigens... what exactly does that mean?

Question

I know an atigen is A substance that when introduced into the body stimulates the production of an antibody. Antigens include toxins, bacteria, foreign blood cells, and the cells of transplanted organs, but I can't quite gather what this means.

No, this is not for homework, I was just wondering..


Thanks.

Answer 1

Ok, here it is simply for you to understand. Red blood cells (RBCs) can have 2 molecules expressed on their surface, which are encoded in your DNA, these "surface antigens" are glycoprotein molecules bound to the cell membranes (of course after red blood cells develop, they lose their nucleus, and thus their DNA, but maintain these surface antigens).

Now an antigen is anything that can be recognized by cells of the immune system. Immune system cells come in contact with every single molecule in our bodies, and are trained all throughout our lives to recognize molecules as SELF, or NON-SELF. It then attempts to destroy anything discovered that is NON-SELF.

So, the two types of glycoprotein molecules (antigens) are called A and B, and these are inherited in a co-dominant fashion, meaning if you inherit at least one copy of A (from your mom or dad or both), you will express A on your RBCs (type A), if you inherit at least one copy of B, you will express B antigens (type B). If you inherit the gene for A from your mom and B from your dad (or vice versa), you will express BOTH A and B on your red blood cells (Type AB). Of course if you inherit NEITHER A nor B, you will be type O.

So, as a natural defense mechansim, your immune system develops antibody to each bloodgroup that you DO NOT HAVE. So if you are type A lets say, your body will develop antibodies to type B antigens (and vice versa). If you are type AB, your body will not develop ANY antibody, and if you are type O, by nature, your body will develop anti-A and anti-B antibody!!! This is why AB is the universal acceptor, and O is the universal donor!

Hope I cleared it up for you!

Answer 2

Well, an antigen is really just a protein that is carried on the surface of a cell or bacteria, sort of like a flag. The reason why your immune system reacts to foreign cells is because it doesn't recognize their "flags" as being from your own body. But, when you have type O blood, you have no flags. What that means for you is that you are a universal donor. When your blood enters somebody else's body, their body doesn't recognize it as foreign because it doesn't see ANY flags, foreign or not. Unfortunately for you, that means that you can only accept type O blood, because any other flag would be foreign to your immune system, since it is used to seeing NO flags.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Not quite true. You have the O antigen. Additional enzymes might tack sugars onto the O antigen to make A, B or AB types. Some (rare) people can't make O antigen because they can't put the last sugar molecule onto the antigen to make type O. This is called the Bombay or hh phenotype.

The O- type is important in medicine because with a few exceptions, O- cells are compatible with anybody for emergency transfusions.

Answer 4

Our body reacts to chemicals in our body called antigens. These antigens code for our immune system to do certain things to get rid of them. If you were ever to get a blood transplant from someone with any other type of blood, let's say A+, your body would attack the blood, and destroy it. Antibodies are created by the immune system to attack antigens. Since you have O- blood, you have antibodies that can fight off all other types of blood if they come in contact with your blood.

I hope that this helps.

Answer 5

There are proteins on surface of blood types A, B and AB that can react with antibodies; anti-A and anti-B. You have both these antibodies in your blood (you were born with them). Your blood does not have antigen A or B so they don't clump. If you are injected with blood of someone with another blood type, your antibodies will react with the other persons antigen on their RBC and clump (not good!).

Apparently, when people get blood transfusions, they are only getting the red blood cells. Since you are O and have no antigens, your red blood cells will not react with anyone's antibodies. That's why O is the universal donor.

People with type A blood has A antigens on RBC and anti-B antibody. People with blood type B has B antigens on their RBC and anti-A antibody. AB blood has both A and B antigens on their RBC and no anti-A or anti-B antibodies (that's why they can receive any red blood cells and not clump).

Answer 6

A correction on what everyone else has said- the ABO system is only one of 29 major blood group systems for classifying blood type. Just because you are O- doesn't meant you can give blood to absolutely everyone. There are hundreds of little proteins and carbohydrates on your red blood cell which can stimulate an immune response if transfused into another person. However, in general, the other blood type system ABO is most important because we have naturally occurring alloantibodies to whatever blood type we don't have (ie. if you're type O, you have antibodies to type A and B blood). Most of the other systems require previous exposure (ie. blood transfusion) in order to create antibodies which may then cause a problem for later transfusions.