Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: paul.fr on 06/07/2007 08:28:10

Title: rejections of blood and other organs.
Post by: paul.fr on 06/07/2007 08:28:10

why does our body sometimes reject blood and organs during transplant? Also are (why are) some organs, race specific?

Title: rejections of blood and other organs.
Post by: _Stefan_ on 06/07/2007 09:31:05

The body rejects or destroys cells that don't have special markers on their cell membrane that the immune system recognizes as its own.

Which organs are race specific?

Title: rejections of blood and other organs.
Post by: another_someone on 07/07/2007 00:30:31

I am not aware (maybe someone can correct me) that no organ is specifically race specific, but different races have different distributions of markers (e.g. blood groups have different statistical distribution in different races, but that is different from saying any blood group only exists in one race, or never exists in another).

Title: rejections of blood and other organs.
Post by: iko on 08/07/2007 22:56:14

Hi people,

shortly, there is a whole system of antigens that stimulate specific antibodies production, responsible for transplanted organ rejection.
It's called Major Histocompatibility Complex and its antigens are routinely detected on the cell suface of specialized white cells (lymphocytes) and called HLA, Human Leucocyte Antigen.
Today the respective genes are spotted from tiny samples of blood.
A fascinating field of Immunology and Genetics combined, difficult and complicated sometimes, surely it deserves a good read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_leukocyte_antigen

Quote from: another_someone on 07/07/2007 00:30:31

I am not aware (maybe someone can correct me) that no organ is specifically race specific, but different races have different distributions of markers (e.g. blood groups have different statistical distribution in different races, but that is different from saying any blood group only exists in one race, or never exists in another).

Yes George,
    same thing like with blood groups.  There are some different combinations in different countries, they are hereditary, of course, genetically transferred like all the rest.

ikod

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2F4%2F4f%2FHLA_complex1.JPG&hash=b1e1ec9237f1e3cefeb2d8999f989a72)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/HLA_complex1.JPG

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