Final answer:
Yes, a child with blood type O can be the offspring of parents with blood types A and B, provided that both parents carry one O allele. Their child could have any of the four basic blood types. As for blood donations, blood type compatibility is essential, considering the ABO and Rh systems.
Step-by-step explanation:
Can a Child Be Mr. T's with a Blood Type O?
It is biologically possible for a child with blood type O (genotype ii) to be the offspring of parents where one has blood type A and the other has blood type B. If the blood type A parent has the genotype AO and the blood type B parent has the genotype BO, then they can produce offspring with any of the four basic blood types: A, B, AB, or O. The recessive O allele (i) must be present from both parents to result in a child with blood type O; hence each parent must carry one copy of the O allele.
The gene for blood type is inherited in a Mendelian fashion, referring to Figure 17.6.4 as an example:
Parent 1: Genotype AO (Blood type A)
Parent 2: Genotype BO (Blood type B)
Possible offspring phenotypes: A (genotype AO), B (genotype BO), AB (genotype AB), O (genotype OO)
Therefore, if Mr. T has the genotype AO and the mother has the genotype BO, their child could indeed be of blood type O.
As for blood donation:
A woman with blood type B can donate to her husband with blood type A only if she is blood type O (universal donor).
A man with blood type A cannot donate to his wife with blood type B unless he is blood type O.
The D antigen is not part of the ABO blood group system, but rather part of the Rhesus (Rh) system. Hemolytic disease of the newborn is more likely to occur in a second pregnancy due to the mother's immune system being sensitized from the first pregnancy and producing antibodies against the Rh protein if she is Rh- and the fetus is Rh+.