Skip to content Skip to navigation
University of Warwick
  • Study
  • |
  • Research
  • |
  • Business
  • |
  • Alumni
  • |
  • News
  • |
  • About

University of Warwick
Publications service & WRAP

Highlight your research

  • WRAP
    • Home
    • Search WRAP
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse WRAP by Year
    • Browse WRAP by Subject
    • Browse WRAP by Department
    • Browse WRAP by Funder
    • Browse Theses by Department
  • Publications Service
    • Home
    • Search Publications Service
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse Publications service by Year
    • Browse Publications service by Subject
    • Browse Publications service by Department
    • Browse Publications service by Funder
  • Help & Advice
University of Warwick

The Library

  • Login
  • Admin

Epistatic interactions between genetic disorders of hemoglobin can explain why the sickle-cell gene is uncommon in the Mediterranean

Tools
- Tools
+ Tools

Penman, Bridget S., Pybus, Oliver G., Weatherall, David J. and Gupta, Sunetra (2009) Epistatic interactions between genetic disorders of hemoglobin can explain why the sickle-cell gene is uncommon in the Mediterranean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106 (50). pp. 21242-21246. doi:10.1073/pnas.0910840106

Research output not available from this repository, contact author.
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910840106

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

Several human genetic disorders of hemoglobin have risen in frequency because of the protection they offer against death from malaria, sickle-cell anemia being a canonical example. Here we address the issue of why this highly protective mutant, present at high frequencies in subSaharan Africa, is uncommon in Mediterranean populations that instead harbor a diverse range of thalassemic hemoglobin disorders. We demonstrate that these contrasting profiles of malaria-protective alleles can arise and be stably maintained by two well-documented phenomena: an alleviation of the clinical severity of α- and β-thalassemia in compound thalassemic genotypes and a cancellation of malaria protection when α-thalassemia and the sickle-cell trait are coinherited. The complex distribution of globin mutants across Africa and the Mediterranean can therefore be explained by their specific intracellular interactions.

Item Type: Journal Article
Divisions: Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- )
Journal or Publication Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
ISSN: 0027-8424
Official Date: 1 December 2009
Dates:
DateEvent
1 January 2009Accepted
1 December 2009Published
Volume: 106
Number: 50
Page Range: pp. 21242-21246
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0910840106
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item View Item
twitter

Email us: wrap@warwick.ac.uk
Contact Details
About Us