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

An evolutionary perspective of how infection drives human genome diversity: the case of malaria.
Curr Opin Immunol. 2014 Jul 1;30C:39-47
Authors: Mangano VD, Modiano D
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 Ca(2+) 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.
PMID: 24996199 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Current Opinion in Immunology - July 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Mangano VD, Modiano D Tags: Curr Opin Immunol Source Type: research