Mechanistic Studies of the Negative Epistatic Malaria-protective Interaction Between Sickle Cell Trait and α⁺thalassemia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Individually, the red blood cell (RBC) polymorphisms sickle cell trait (HbAS) and α⁺thalassemia protect against severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. It has been shown through epidemiological studies that the co-inheritance of both conditions results in a loss of the protection afforded by each, but the biological mechanisms remain unknown.

Methods

We used RBCs from >300 donors of various HbAS and α⁺thalassemia genotype combinations to study the individual and combinatorial effects of these polymorphisms on a range of putative P. falciparum virulence phenotypes in-vitro, using four well-characterised P. falciparum laboratory strains. We studied cytoadhesion of parasitized RBCs (pRBCs) to the endothelial receptors C

SUBMITTER: Opi DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4397954 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature