OMIA:001089 : Blood group system ABO

Categories: Haematopoietic system phene

Possible human homologue (MIM number): 110300 (gene)

Links to MONDO diseases: No links.

Cross-species summary: Each blood group system consists of a set of blood types, each of which corresponds to a particular antigen (usually a glycoprotein) on the surface of red blood cells. The different types within a system are the result of the action of different alleles at a locus that usually encodes an enzyme that catalyses the creation of the feature of the glycoprotein unique to that type, e.g. the presence of a particular sugar at the end of a short chain of sugars. The ABO blood group system arises from two alleles at a locus that encodes a glycosyltransferase: the A allele encodes alpha 1-3-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase; and the B allele encodes alpha 1-3-galactosyltransferase. The B allele transferase catalyses the addition of galactose to a chain of four sugars attached to a protein known as H antigen. The A allele ltransferase catalyses the addition of a derivative of galactose called N-acetylgalactosamine to the same short chain of sugars. The third allele at this locus (the O allele) results in no sugar being added to the chain.

Species in which this phene is found:
crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata)
Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)
olive baboon (Papio anubis)
agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis)
common gibbon (Hylobates lar)
siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
pig (Sus scrofa)

Edit History


  • Created by Frank Nicholas on 03 May 2005
  • Changed by Frank Nicholas on 11 Sep 2011
  • Changed by Frank Nicholas on 19 Oct 2011
  • Changed by Imke Tammen2 on 12 Jan 2022