Page 139 - The Manga Guide to Biochemistry
P. 139
How is blood type determined?
Kumi, you’ve probably learned about red blood cells in school, right?
Yeah! They’re the cells that give blood its color. They look something like this:
You got it. Blood type is determined by the type of saccharide molecules that
protrude from the surface of red blood cells. The surface of many cells, including
red blood cells, is covered by a sugar coating (glycocalyx) made up of saccharides.
Jeez, we’re back to saccharides again? Though I do like the sound of this “sugar
coating”...
Remember the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane? Proteins are embedded in various
spots in that bilayer, and saccharide molecules are often attached to their outer
surfaces. Collectively, these saccharide molecules make up the cell’s sugar coating.
surface of red
blood cell
saccharide
protein
Biochemistry in Our Everyday Lives 125
