What are the Different Types of Human Antigen?
The most common human antigens are the blood factors, which determine a person’s blood type. Human antigens also include those antigens that help antibodies cleave to and destroy foreign proteins that can cause harm to a person’s body. These antigens help the body to distinguish cells that belong to a person’s own system from foreign cells or proteins that that need to be removed.
Human blood cells may contain one or both of two human antigens. These human antigens are called A and B, and their presence or absence determines what blood type a person has. People with blood type A have the human antigen A, and those with blood type B, have human antigen B. An individual with type AB blood has both, and people with type O blood do not have either of these antigens on their red blood cells. There is also a human blood antigen that determines whether a person has a positive or a negative blood type.
The presence of a blood type antigen means that the corresponding antibody is absent from a person’s system. Conversely, the absence of certain antigens means that the person does create antibodies for those particular antigens, which is why blood transfusions must not be given if they contain a human antigen not normally present in the patient’s body. For instance, someone with blood type a should not be given a transfusion of type B blood. Unfamiliar blood antigens elicit an immune response, which can lead to serious complications or even the death of the patient.
A human antigen is created by the human leukocyte antigen system, which helps identify antigens that belong to foreign proteins. The human leukocyte antigen system is coded on human deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) on the 6th chromosome. This section of DNA is used to create proteins that recognize antigens. The process of identifying an antigen is called antigen presentation.
Most antigens in the human body are those that have entered the body through the air, bloodstream, or digestive tract. These are called exogenous antigens and are considered hostile by the human immune system. The other types of antigens that exist within a person’s body are called endogenous antigens. They are often foreign invaders that have taken over a healthy human cell and replicated inside of it. Antigen presentation allows these invaders to be identified and destroyed by the antibodies in the immune system.
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![Type O blood does not have A or B antigens.]()
By: dazzi-bType O blood does not have A or B antigens. -
![The human leukocyte antigen system is coded on DNA in the 6th chromosome.]()
By: Giovanni CancemiThe human leukocyte antigen system is coded on DNA in the 6th chromosome. -
![The blood factors are human antigens that determine a person's blood type.]()
By: Tyler OlsonThe blood factors are human antigens that determine a person's blood type. -
![Some human antigens help antibodies to destroy foreign proteins that cause harm to a person's body.]()
By: designuaSome human antigens help antibodies to destroy foreign proteins that cause harm to a person's body. -
![The most common human antigens are the blood factors, which determine a person’s blood type.]()
By: designuaThe most common human antigens are the blood factors, which determine a person’s blood type. -
![Blood transfusions must not be given if they contain blood cells that have human antigen that is not normally present in a patient’s body.]()
By: designuaBlood transfusions must not be given if they contain blood cells that have human antigen that is not normally present in a patient’s body. -
![Blood transfusions can't be performed if they contain a human antigen not normally present in a patient's blood.]()
By: alma_sacraBlood transfusions can't be performed if they contain a human antigen not normally present in a patient's blood.
Discussion Comments
I am O negative. I had a lot of unusual abilities as a child, certainly very empathetic. I lost my best friend as a child to Leukemia and she was very special to me and we always spent all of our time together! I love animals, especially Siberian Huskies, and Golden Retrievers! I always functioned with a lower body temperature, sometimes 2-3 degrees lower. I am not sure about my brother's blood types, but all of this is very interesting to me!
I have Ankylosing Spondylitis which is common with human leukocyte antigen B-27 and I am positive for this. I am also diabetic and a tested genius, but this I do not think was natural as I do have an education in science and mathematics. I wanted to be an architect as a boy/teen, but went into the Army at age 17 and trained as a medic and surgical tech. From then I wanted to be a surgeon. I worked as a surgical tech until age 30 but due to spondylitis, I had to get my right hip replaced at age 30. I have always been very empathetic, a lover of animals, dislike cruelty, especially to animals and those who cannot make decisions on their own as to life and life experiences such as children. I am attracted to blonde, black and red-haired persons, blue or green eyes, sometimes brown, but unusual eye color is always a draw for me. This is one reason I love Siberian Huskies as well as their high IQ for an animal.
I always feel better in cold environments, but can adjust to hot if I am there for a long time but always feel odd in hot environments! Love winter and snow as well as when I was a child, loved outer space, rockets and the space shuttle program. I also was a huge Lego user and fan as well as loved puzzles and other unusual toys. I had no idea how close I was to this idea of O negative until I started doing research myself.
I love chemistry and math as well as physics. Love art as well but prefer science. I have always had a lower than 98.6 body temp which seems very unusual to me as well as never felt right here on this planet, or at least where I grew up in Minnesota.
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