Blood Group Antigens as a Self-Declaration Mechanism

Polymorphism

See Also

• Antigen, ABH
• [Carbohydrates as Biological Markers]?
• [Blood Group Antigens as Markers of Differentiation]?

Description

Folia Med (Plovdiv) 1997;39(2):5-9

Blood-group antigens have been developed as a self-declaration mechanism in higher organisms, since blood cells carry different DNA from that of germ-line cells, and their selfishness must be strictly limited. If not, symbiosis between somatic DNA and germ-line DNA cannot be maintained since blood cells can express autonomy programmed within themselves. For the sake of maintenance of symbiosis, this self-declaration is not limited to blood cells and all somatic cells need a self-plural declaration mechanism such as blood-group antigens. Differentiation and development including induction and inhibition also depend on the self-declaration--recognition mechanism.

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