Blood and Blood Types

Q: What is Blood? BLOOD is a mixture of two components: formed elements and plasma. Plasma: the watery fluid portion of blood in which the corpuscular elements are suspended. 90% water It transports nutrients as well as wastes throughout the body. Various compounds, including proteins, electrolytes, carbohydrates, minerals, and fats, are dissolved in it. Nearly everything that blood carries, including nutrients, hormones and waste, is dissolved in the plasma, which is mostly water. 

Q: What is Blood? Formed elements float in the plasma. White blood cells (WBCs) Platelets Red blood cells (RBCs) 

Q: What makes up our blood? RED BLOOD CELLS (Erythrocytes) – The most abundant cells in our blood; they are produced in the bone marrow and contain a protein called hemoglobin that carries oxygen to our cells. WHITE BLOOD CELLS (Leukocytes) – They are part of the immune system and destroy infectious agents called pathogens. PLASMA – This is the yellowish liquid portion of blood that contains electrolytes, nutrients and vitamins, hormones, clotting factors, and proteins such as antibodies to fight infection. PLATELETS (Thrombocytes) – The clotting factors that are carried in the plasma; they clot together in a process called coagulation to seal a wound and prevent a loss of blood.

Biological Properties of Blood Blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports waste products away from cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Red Blood Cells Biconcave discs Made in bone marrow No nucleus (so cannot reproduce themselves) Almost no organelles Essentially just bags full of hemoglobin

Hemoglobin Carrier protein for oxygen and carbon dioxide Uses iron (found in “Heme” group, 4 per hemoglobin molecule) as the binding site for oxygen Too little hemoglobin in blood is called anemia

Hemoglobin Circle or highlight the oxygen binding site in your Heme group

Biological Properties of Blood White blood cells fight off infection and reject foreign tissue.

Biological Properties of Blood Platelets assist in clotting.

Blood Types

Genetics of Blood Types Your blood type is established before you are BORN, by specific GENES inherited from your parents. You inherit one gene from your MOTHER and one from your FATHER. These genes determine your blood type by causing proteins called AGGLUTINOGENS to exist on the surface of all of your red blood cells.

AA or AO = Type A BB or BO = Type B OO = Type O AB = Type AB Q: What are blood types? There are 3 alleles or genes for blood type: A, B, & O. Since we have 2 genes, there are 6 possible combinations. Blood Types AA or AO = Type A BB or BO = Type B OO = Type O AB = Type AB http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/basics/blood/types.cfm

How common is your blood type? 46.1% 38.8% 11.1% 3.9%

Q: Who can give who blood? People with TYPE O blood are called Universal Donors, because they can give blood to any blood type. People with TYPE AB blood are called Universal Recipients, because they can receive any blood type. A B O AB Universal Donor Universal Recipient

Q: What are Rh Factors? Scientists sometimes study Rhesus monkeys to learn more about the human anatomy because there are certain similarities between the two species. While studying Rhesus monkeys, a certain blood protein was discovered. The presence of the protein, or lack of it, is referred to as the Rh (for Rhesus) factor. A+ A- B+ B- AB+ AB- O+ O-

Q: What are Rh Factors? Rh Factor Rh+ = with (85%) Rh- = without (15%) Can receive + or - Rh- = without (15%) Can only receive -

Blood Vessels: The Vascular System Taking blood to the tissues and back Arteries: Carry blood away from heart Arterioles: Smaller than arteries Capillaries: Nutrient exchange with tissues Venules: Smaller than veins Veins: Return blood to heart Slide 11.23 Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Blood Vessels: Anatomy Three layers (tunics) Tunic intima (innermost) Endothelium Tunic media (middle layer) Smooth muscle Controlled by sympathetic nervous system Tunic externa (outermost) Mostly fibrous connective tissue Slide 11.25 Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Differences Between Blood Vessel Types Walls of arteries are the thickest Lumens of veins are larger Skeletal muscle “milks” blood in veins toward the heart Walls of capillaries are only one cell layer thick to allow for exchanges between blood and tissue Slide 11.26 Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Movement of Blood Through Vessels Arterial blood is pumped by the heart Veins use the milking action of muscles to help move blood Figure 11.9 Slide 11.27 Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Capillary Beds Capillary beds consist of two types of vessels Vascular shunt – directly connects an arteriole to a venule Figure 11.10 Slide 11.28a Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Capillary Beds True capillaries – exchange vessels Oxygen and nutrients cross to cells Carbon dioxide and metabolic waste products cross into blood Figure 11.10 Slide 11.28b Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings