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Blood Group and Lewis Antigen
Blood groups are defined by oligosaccharide structures that are specific to antigens. The ABO blood group system is associated with A, B, and H antigens, whose specificity lies in the differences in the terminal carbohydrate residues. The H antigen is synthesized by adding fucosyl residues to a precursor oligosaccharide. The addition of N-acetylgalactosamine residues to the H antigen produces the A antigen, while the addition of galactose residues produces the B antigen. Small changes in the oligosaccharide structure not only affect the classification of blood groups but also have an impact on immune responses, biorecognition, and pathogen-host interactions. CD BioGlyco is a specialist glycobiology company that has invested heavily in the development of blood group and Lewis antigen products to promote and accelerate scientific research in related fields.