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NCERT Exemplar · Q6

Q.Person having genotype IA IB would show the blood group as AB. This is because of:

(a) Pleiotropy
(b) Co-dominance
(c) Segregation
(d) Incomplete dominance
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A person with genotype IA IB has blood group AB because both IA and IB alleles express themselves equally and independently, a phenomenon called co-dominance.

To understand why the correct answer is co-dominance, we need to step back and look at how Mendel’s laws work — and then see where this blood group example breaks the simple dominant-recessive pattern.

Mendel’s experiments with pea plants showed that for each trait, one allele (the dominant one) masks the other (the recessive one). So a plant with genotype Tt would be tall, because T (tall) dominates over t (dwarf). That is the classic pattern. But nature is not always that tidy. Sometimes, both alleles in a heterozygous individual contribute to the phenotype in a visible way. That is exactly what happens with the ABO blood group system.

The ABO blood group is determined by a gene on chromosome 9 that has three common alleles: IA, IB, and i. The IA allele codes for an enzyme that adds N-acetylgalactosamine to the surface of red blood cells, producing the A antigen. The IB allele codes for a slightly different enzyme that adds galactose, producing the B antigen. The i allele produces a non-functional enzyme, so no antigen is added — that gives the O blood group.

Now, here is the key point. When a person inherits IA from one parent and IB from the other, both alleles are fully functional. Neither one is dominant over the other. The IA allele produces its A antigen, and the IB allele produces its B antigen, independently and simultaneously. The red blood cells end up with both A and B antigens on their surface. That is why the blood group is called AB.

This is the textbook definition of co-dominance: both alleles in a heterozygous individual are fully expressed, and the phenotype shows the products of both. It is not incomplete dominance, where the heterozygote shows a blended intermediate (like pink flowers from red and white parents). In AB blood group, there is no blending — the A and B antigens are both present, distinct and separate.

Note

The ABO gene actually shows both co-dominance and dominance. IA and IB are co-dominant with each other, but both are dominant over i. So a person with IA i has blood group A, and a person with IB i has blood group B. …

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