Infection with malaria parasites has imposed a strong selective pressure on the human genome, promoting the convergent evolution of a diverse range of genetic adaptations, many of which are harboured by the red blood cell, which hosts the pathogenic stage of the Plasmodium life cycle. Recent genome-wide and multi-centre association studies of severe malaria have consistently identified ATP2B4, encoding the major Ca2+ pump of erythrocytes, as a novel resistance locus. Evidence is also accumulating that interaction occurs among resistance loci, the most recent example being negative epistasis among alpha-thalassemia and haptoglobin type 2. Finally, studies on the effect of haemoglobin S and C on parasite transmission to mosquitoes have suggested that protective variants could increase in frequency enhancing parasite fitness. © 2014 .

An evolutionary perspective of how infection drives human genome diversity: the case of malaria / Mangano, Valentina; Modiano, David. - In: CURRENT OPINION IN IMMUNOLOGY. - ISSN 0952-7915. - 30:1(2014), pp. 39-47. [10.1016/j.coi.2014.06.004]

An evolutionary perspective of how infection drives human genome diversity: the case of malaria

MANGANO, VALENTINA;MODIANO, David
2014

Abstract

Infection with malaria parasites has imposed a strong selective pressure on the human genome, promoting the convergent evolution of a diverse range of genetic adaptations, many of which are harboured by the red blood cell, which hosts the pathogenic stage of the Plasmodium life cycle. Recent genome-wide and multi-centre association studies of severe malaria have consistently identified ATP2B4, encoding the major Ca2+ pump of erythrocytes, as a novel resistance locus. Evidence is also accumulating that interaction occurs among resistance loci, the most recent example being negative epistasis among alpha-thalassemia and haptoglobin type 2. Finally, studies on the effect of haemoglobin S and C on parasite transmission to mosquitoes have suggested that protective variants could increase in frequency enhancing parasite fitness. © 2014 .
2014
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
An evolutionary perspective of how infection drives human genome diversity: the case of malaria / Mangano, Valentina; Modiano, David. - In: CURRENT OPINION IN IMMUNOLOGY. - ISSN 0952-7915. - 30:1(2014), pp. 39-47. [10.1016/j.coi.2014.06.004]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/630165
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