How many blood groups do mice have? - briefly
Mice are classified into three principal blood‑group types. These are designated as types A, B, and C in the standard murine blood‑group system.
How many blood groups do mice have? - in detail
Mice possess several erythrocyte antigen systems rather than a single human‑type ABO classification. The three best‑characterized systems are:
- M system – defined by the presence of the M, N, and S antigens. These are carbohydrate structures on the red‑cell membrane; each mouse expresses one or a combination of them, creating up to eight possible phenotypes.
- R system – identified by the R1 and R2 antigens, protein‑based markers linked to the H‑2 (MHC) locus. R1 and R2 occur independently, yielding four R‑phenotypes.
- G system – comprises the G1, G2, and G3 antigens, discovered through allo‑immune reactions. Their distribution varies among inbred strains, producing six observable G‑types.
When the three systems are considered together, the theoretical combination count reaches 8 × 4 × 6 = 192 distinct blood‑group patterns. Empirical surveys of laboratory strains have documented roughly 30–40 phenotypes that appear with measurable frequency; the remainder are rare or strain‑specific.
Key points:
- Genetic basis – each system is encoded by separate loci; inheritance follows Mendelian patterns.
- Strain variation – C57BL/6, BALB/c, and DBA/2 mice display characteristic M, R, and G profiles used for transplantation compatibility testing.
- Research relevance – knowledge of murine blood groups informs blood‑transfusion studies, immunogenicity assessments, and the design of hematopoietic stem‑cell experiments.
Thus, mice do not have a single limited set of blood groups; they exhibit multiple antigen systems that together generate dozens of observable phenotypes, with a theoretical maximum in the hundreds.