An assessment of the impact of host polymorphisms on Plasmodium falciparum var gene expression patterns among Kenyan children.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Host genotype accounts for a component of the variability in susceptibility to childhood Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, despite numerous examples of host polymorphisms associated with tolerance or resistance to infection, direct evidence for an impact of host genetic polymorphisms on the in vivo parasite population is difficult to obtain. Parasite molecules whose expression is most likely to be associated with such adaptation are those that are directly involved in the host-parasite interaction. A prime candidate is the family of parasite var gene-encoded molecules on P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes, PfEMP1, which binds various host molecules and facilitates parasite sequestration in host tissues to avoid clearance by the spleen.

Methods

To assess the

SUBMITTER: Warimwe GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4262213 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature