Blood Groups?

Question

I know there are different blood groups, but in short, what is it that makes them different?

Answer 1

Different blood groups contain different antibodies & antigens.

Type A: anti-B & A antigen
Type B: anti-A & B antigen
Type AB: no antibodies but A & B antigens
Type O: anti-A & anti-B but no antigens.#

The + or - sign after the blood group relates to RhD antigen, Rh- people tend not to have any anti-RhD IgG or IgM antibodies, where as Rh+ will.

Answer 2

The blood types will vary acording to whether the cells express the Rh antigen or not, and whether they express the A, B, both or neither ABO antigen.

The A antigen and the B antigen are derived from a common precursor known as the H antigen (or H substance). The H antigen is a carbohydrate sequence with carbohydrates linked mainly to protein with a minor fraction attached to ceramide moiety).

H antigens can be changed into A or B antigens by enzymes coded by the blood group A or B genes, which are sugar (glycosyl) tranferases. Type A has an extra alpha-N-Acetyl-D-galactosamine bonded to the D-galactose at the end, while type B has an extra alpha-D-galactose bonded to the D-galactose at the end.

If a cell has both of these, it will be AB. If it has one or the oher, it will be A or B. If it has neither, it will be O.

The term Rhesus (Rh) blood group system refers to the five main Rhesus antigens (C, c, D, E and e) as well as the many other less frequent Rhesus antigens. The terms Rhesus factor and Rh factor are equivalent and refer to the Rh D antigen only.

Individuals either have, or do not have, the Rhesus factor (or Rh D antigen) on the surface of their red blood cells. This is usually indicated by 'RhD positive' (does have the RhD antigen) or 'RhD negative' (does not have the antigen). This is indicated by appending the + or - suffix to the A-B-O blood type: A+, O-, etc.

Unlike the A-B-O antigens, the only ways antibodies are developed against the Rh factor are through placental sensitization or translation.

The reason this is important is because type O blood contains antibodies to A and B (anti-A and anti-B). Type A has only anti-B, etc. If you have type O blood and I have type A blood, you have anti-A and anti-B in your blood, and I have anti-B alone. My blood wont do any damage to your red cells if we transfuse a unit of it into you because your red cells don’t have B on them for my anti-B to attack. If we put your blood into me, the anti-A will lyse my A antigen carrying cells and create a transfusion reaction.

Rh incompatibility issues arise when a pregnant mother and her fetus have different Rh types. If mom is Rh negative and gets a little of her first baby’s Rh+ blood in her at delivery time, she will be sensitized to the Rh antigen and develop anti-Rh. If her second baby is also Rh+, it will be attacked by these antibodies in utero.

Answer 3

There are 8 basic groups
1/2 are Rh positive and the other Rh negative

different components in the blood -

One is a universal donor - can give to ANY group

One is a universal receiver - can take blood from any group

Answer 4

To keep it short, the outsides of our red blood cells are different, with different proteins and sugars on show. Which ones we have depend on our genes. If you transfuse the wrong blood the donors immune system finds these foreign antigens and tries to destroy them.

Answer 5

O+ are the universal donors.ie they can donate their blood to another with a different blood group.
B+ can only be donated to people with the same blood group
AB is rare and is only donated to those with the same blood group.B+ & AB cannot donate to others with a different blood group cos it could lead to serious medical problems even death..i think.

Answer 6

If you're talking about blood types, that's because they have different antigens and antibodies, if you want to know more, consult a teacher, biology book or genetics or biology site or book

Answer 7

carbohydrate and protein differences