A person’s personal Blood Group is determined by which allele of the ABO gene found on Chromosome 9 they are born with. Their personal genetic haplotype, if male, is determined by a pattern of alleles on Chromosome Y. There is apparently no direct link between the two genetic characteristics… however, there are circumstances in which a correlation may appear.
In mid-May, 2003, the following message came to my attention:
-----Original
Message-----
From: Reborn
Sent:
To: [email protected]
Subject: [DNA] Check out Excerpt from "The Complete Blood Type Diet
Encyclopedia"
Interesting article love to hear what yall think …..
http://www.dadamo.com/napharm/store3/template2/encyclopedia.html
The web address above is that of an article entitled "Blood
Groups and the history of peoples".
According to the article, Blood Group B is compatible with a diet
which is characterized as "cultured dairy
products and blood"... the diet of the nomadic peoples of
Subsequently, the following message appeared on the Genealogy – DNA – List in response to an inquiry from Erica Stewart:
----- Original Message
-----
From: Nikki Behre
To: <[email protected]>
Sent:
Subject: Re: [DNA]
Blood types by continent?
Erica,
Here's a site you may be
interested in viewing:
Racial Ethnic Distribution
of ABO Blood Types
There are many
sites that discuss blood types via continent, etc., but this
one provides additional interesting
information. …
Racial Ethnic Distribution
of ABO Blood Types includes discusion of, and sorts the four main blood groups into percentages for
various population groups. An included chart “reveals that the frequency and purity of the four
main ABO Blood groups varies in populations throughout the world. A great variation
may even occur in different groups within a given country; even a small
country, as one ethnic group mixes, or not, with another.
As an example, the early European races are
characterized by a very low type B frequency, and a relatively high type A frequency
while the Asiatic races are characterized by a high frequency of types A and B. ”
According
to the article, Blood Group B occurs in approximately 8% of the overall
population of the
Following certain links from the above website, I found several interesting webpages:
Re the Distribution of Blood Types found at http://anthro.palomar.edu/vary_3.htm
I found the following, accompanied by an excellent map:
“… It is quite clear that the distribution patterns are complex…. This
can be seen with the global
frequency patterns of the type B blood allele (shown in the map…) it is
highest in central
Re ABO Blood Types, http://anthro.palomar.edu/blood/ABO_system.htm
ABO blood types are inherited through genes
on chromosome 9, and they do not change as a result of
environmental influences during life. An individual's ABO type is
determined by the inheritance of 1 of 3 alleles (A, B, or O) from each parent… possible outcomes
are shown … (in a chart at the referenced webpage)
Both A and B alleles are
dominant over O. As a result, individuals who have an AO genotype will
have an A phenotype.
People who are type O have OO genotypes. In other words, they inherited a
recessive O
allele from both parents. The
A and B alleles are codominant. Therefore, if an A is inherited from
one parent and a B
from the other, the phenotype will be AB. Agglutination tests will show that these
individuals have the characteristics of both type A and type B blood.
Unfortunately, the inheritance of
ABO blood types does not always follow such straightforward rules of
inheritance. If you wish to explore one of the exceptions, select the
There you will find that “It is important to be cautious in predicting the ABO
blood type of children based on the phenotypes of their parents. This is due to the fact that a third antigen
(H) on the surface of red cells can prevent the expected ABO blood type from
occurring.”
From the foregoing it is instructive to go to the
“Blood Types
Tutorial: http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/problem_sets/blood_types/inherited.html” ( And see the Blood
Type Calculator
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/problem_sets/blood_types/inherited.html#calculator )
A number of possible
blood group outcomes for children of parents with various blood groups will be seen from experimenting with the Blood Type Calculator
As noted above, at least some of the participants in our
surname DNA study and some other members of the Donegal Bay Strong lineages who
have not yet been tested are members of Blood Group B, raising the question “How did the
One speculation is that the Donegal Bay Strong lineages may
reach in antiquity to certain Norman families whose heritage may have included East Asian
roots possibly imported to
It appears that in an endogamous community it would be quite
possible for Blood Group B to be handed down through many generations, with
little variation away from B as a norm.
The conditions in the Donegal Bay Community in rural western Ulster
during the period from mid -1600’s to mid-1850’s seem to comport with such a
possibility… a relatively small population with little ad-mixture from outside
populations, and relatively little out-migration. In the period since then, it is not surprising
that Blood Group B, as a dominant blood group, continues to occur in the lineage in
proportions which appear to be larger than might be expected from a random
sample of the British population. It
will have been noted that the average rate of occurance
of Group B in the
We are left with some questions: FTDNA categorizes our Donegal Bay Strongs as R1b, tenatively, subject to confirmatory testing. My understanding is that R1b is characteristic of PALEOLITHIC origins. David Roper’s website, “Y-Chromosome Markers Families Comparisons” and the related pages at http://www.roperld.com/ycomparison.htm
has
nothing re the DYS 393=12, etc markers as being Neolithic vs
Paleolithic. As noted above, in the website, "Blood Groups and
the history of peoples" at:
http://www.dadamo.com/napharm/store3/template2/encyclopedia.html
, the
discussion seems to indicate the Donegal Bay Strongs
may be descendants of the Mongols .... Blood Type B is compatible with a diet which is
characterized as "cultured dairy products and blood"... the
diet of the nomadic peoples of
Are there any insights
which might clarify the apparent inconsistency between the FTDNA suggestion (R1b,
& consequently paleolithic) and the
suggestion in "Blood Groups"... (Blood
Group B and neolithic)?
(Note, I am not totally confident about the reliability of the assertions made there
about Blood Group B being Neolithic)
IF Blood Group B IS
consistent with a Neolithic origin, and IF it can be shown that there is a
correlation between Blood Group B and our DYS 393=12, etc. groups of
participants, does that mean there is a distinctive Haplogroup designation
to which we belong?
What DYS markers beside DYS 393=12 and DYS 459a=10 are characteristic of such a haplogroup?
[Editor's Note: The foregoing DNA Study Note was first written in June, 2003. During February, 2004 additional information came to my attention concerning a split in YCC Haplogroup R1b3 which has been observed by Genetic Researchers Cinnioglu, et.al., wherein DYS393=12 and DYS461=10 are markers for Haplotype 35, and attributed to a Paleolithic origin. See further discussion at
Y Haplogroup R1b3: in "Background of Border Reivers "DYS393=12" Y-DNA Study".]
Dave Strong ...
DNA Study Coordinator
Border Reivers "DYS393=12" Y-DNA Study