A laboratory exercise to determine human ABO blood type by noninvasive methods

Area of Science:

• Human Biology
• Genetics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis is crucial for understanding human biology and disease.
• Determining ABO blood type genetically offers insights into human genetic variation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide students with hands-on experience in molecular biology techniques.
• To genetically determine individual ABO blood types using non-invasive methods.

Main Methods:

• Genomic DNA isolation from buccal mucosa cells (saliva).
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of ABO gene exons 6 and 7.
• Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis using agarose gel electrophoresis.

Main Results:

• Identification of O(1) alleles by detecting the loss of a BstE II restriction site.
• Distinguishing between A(1), A(2), B, and O(2) alleles based on exon 7 digestion patterns.

Conclusions:

• This laboratory exercise effectively teaches fundamental molecular biology techniques.
• Students can successfully determine their ABO blood type genotype through DNA analysis.