Epistasis | Bombay Phenotype | Biology lecture chapter genetics / Inheritance

Hi, Thanks for watching my video about Epistasis / Bombay phenotype Epistasis describes how gene interactions can affect phenotypes. Did you know that genes can mask each other's presence or combine to produce an entirely new trait? The Hh blood group contains one antigen, the H antigen, which is found on virtually all RBCs and is the building block for the production of the antigens within the ABO blood group. H antigen deficiency is known as the "Bombay phenotype" (h/h, also known as Oh) and is found in 1 of 10,000 individuals in India and 1 in a million people in Europe. There is no ill effect with being H deficient, but if a blood transfusion is ever needed, people with this blood type can receive blood only from other donors who are also H deficient. (A transfusion of "normal" group O blood can trigger a severe transfusion reaction.) Because the H antigen is the precursor of the ABO blood group antigens, if it is not produced, the ABO blood group antigens are also not produced. This can be misleading in paternity cases, a fact that has been exploited in soap opera story lines!