According to a World Health Organization report, in 2016, approximately 216 million people suffered from malaria outbreaks, leading to an estimated 445,000 deaths.
More than 65% of this number are children under 15 years old. Of these alarming number, one out of four children suffer from cerebral malaria and many dies. At least one out of four survivors suffer permanent brain damage as a result. Although preventive measures like the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, antimalarial drugs, and basic sanitation have gone a long way towards equipping us in our fight against malaria. It remains a fatal disease.
Stages of plasmodium infection
Source:Le Roche Lab
Without a doubt, malaria is a scourge that needs to go away already.
But there is hope.
Researchers may have found a way to completely eradicate malaria and save millions of lives as a result. A link between abnormally shaped red blood cells and malaria resistance has been uncovered.
In hereditary xerocytosis, a mutation in chromosome 16 leads to an impaired cell membrane pump which alters cell membrane permeability and leaves the red blood cells dehydrated. Some of these dehydrated cells never survive and eventually die in a process called hemolysis. These dehydrated red blood cells that survive have been known to be malaria resistant, as the Plasmodium parasite which causes malaria is unable to thrive in these cells.
Researchers used an engineered mouse with a conferred gain-of-function mutation, PIEZO 1, to find the link with malaria resistance. A gain of function mutation occurs when the mutated or changed gene, in this case, PIEZO 1 is expressed. Mice with these gain of function allele were found to be resistant to cerebral malaria.
Although dehydrated red blood cells have been linked to cerebral malaria resistance in experiments, the question remained if the same results could be repeated in living organisms. But the mice models with this gain of function allele PIEZO 1 were resistant to malaria.
Could this be applied to humans?
Genetics and history say yes. Genetics in association with evolution gave humans a way to survive the war against the fatal cerebral malaria by conferring an advantage unknown to scientists at the time. Individuals with a mutation in the hemoglobin gene or other defects like sickle-cell anemia, thalassemia, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, ovalocytosis, elliptocytosis and loss of the Gerbich antigen and the Duffy antigen are almost resistant to malaria.
Source: Benjamin Burt
An image depiction of malaria resistance in sickled cells. 1. Normal cells 2. infected cells with plasmodium 3. sickled cells 4. blood vessels 5. Since sickle cell is a heterozygote trait, 50% normal cells will be infected, while the plasmodium will be unable to thrive in the 50% sicked cells, thereby conferring resistance to malaria.
In a process still not completely clear, theis ‘pathophysiology’ changes the red blood cells in ways that make it difficult for the malaria parasite to thrive, thereby conferring resistance.
Will the expression of this gain of function allele PIEZO 1 confer the same malaria resistance in humans?
We can certainly hope so.
References
Common PIEZO1 Allele in African Populations Causes RBC Dehydration and Attenuates Plasmodium Infection
Cerebral Malaria May be a Major Cause of Brain Injury in African Children
Gain of function mutation
Hereditary Xerocytosis
Human genetic resistance to malaria
Malaria
Malaria
Originally Published on STEEMNEWS.ONLINE