Association between Knops blood group polymorphisms and susceptibility to malaria in an endemic area of the Brazilian Amazon.
Complement receptor 1 (CR1) gene polymorphisms that are associated with Knops blood group antigens may influence the binding of Plasmodium parasites to erythrocytes, thereby affecting susceptibility to malaria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotype and allele and haplotype frequencies of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Knops blood group antigens and examine their association with susceptibility to malaria in an endemic area of Brazil. One hundred and twenty-six individuals from the Brazilian Amazon were studied. The CR1-genomic fragment was amplified by PCR and six SNPs and haplotypes were identified after DNA sequence analysis. Allele and haplotype frequencies revealed that the Kn(b) allele and H8 haplotype were possibly associated with susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum. The odds ratios were reasonably high, suggesting a potentially important association between two Knops blood antigens (Kn(b) and KAM(+)) that confer susceptibility to P. falciparum in individuals from the Brazilian Amazon.
Hemocentro de Ribeirão Preto, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Células Tronco e Terapia Celular, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
Aparecida Maria
AM
Fontes
Simone
S
Kashima
Ricardo
R
Bonfim-Silva
Rochele
R
Azevedo
Kuruvilla Joseph
KJ
Abraham
Sérgio Roberto Lopes
SR
Albuquerque
José Orlando
JO
Bordin
Dante Mário Langhi
DM
Júnior
Dimas Tadeu
DT
Covas