How is O negative blood inherited from parents?

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Detailed Solution

Inheriting O negative blood requires receiving specific recessive genes from both parents for two different blood group systems: the ABO system and the Rh system.

1. The ABO System (Getting the "O")

The 'A' and 'B' alleles (versions of a gene) are dominant, while the 'O' allele is recessive. To have type O blood, you must inherit an 'O' allele from your mother AND an 'O' allele from your father. This gives you the 'OO' genotype.

2. The Rh System (Getting the "Negative")

The 'Rh positive' allele (Rh+) is dominant, and the 'Rh negative' allele (Rh-) is recessive. To be Rh-negative, you must inherit an 'Rh-' allele from your mother AND an 'Rh-' allele from your father. This gives you the 'Rh-Rh-' genotype.

Therefore, to be O negative, your genetic makeup must be 'OO' and 'Rh-Rh-'.

This means that both of your parents must have at least one 'O' allele AND at least one 'Rh-' allele in their own genetic code to pass on to you. For example:

If both parents are O negative, all their children will be O negative.
If one parent is O- (genotype OO/Rh-Rh-) and the other is A+ (but is heterozygous, with genotype AO/Rh+Rh-), they have a 25% chance of having an O negative child.
If one parent is B+ (genotype BO/Rh+Rh-) and the other is A- (genotype AO/Rh-Rh-), they also have a chance of having an O negative child.

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