Antigen degradation rate
Definition
The rate at which an antigen becomes undetectable on a dried stain, driven by protein denaturation, microbial protease activity, UV exposure, and humidity. Protein antigens (Rh, MNS) degrade far faster than carbohydrate antigens (ABO), limiting their practical forensic lifespan on scene samples.
Related terms
- Antithetical antigens
- Pairs of antigens where carrying one typically excludes the other on the same protein: C and c, E and e in the...
- Discriminating power
- In forensic serology, the proportion of random pairs of individuals expected to differ at a given marker or set of markers. A...
- Glycophorin
- A family of heavily sialylated red-cell glycoproteins. Glycophorin A carries M and N antigens; glycophorin B carries S and s antigens. Both...
- MNS system
- A blood group system comprising M and N antigens on glycophorin A (GYPA) and S and s antigens on glycophorin B (GYPB)....
- Rh system
- A blood group system defined by antigens on two proteins encoded by the RHD and RHCE genes on chromosome 1. The clinically...
Explained in
- Rh, MNS, and Other Blood Group SystemsThe rate at which an antigen becomes undetectable on a dried stain, driven by protein denaturation, microbial protease activity, UV exposure, and humidity. Pro...