HUMAN-LEUKOCYTE ANTIGENS AND NATURAL-SELECTION BY MALARIA

Citation
Avs. Hill et al., HUMAN-LEUKOCYTE ANTIGENS AND NATURAL-SELECTION BY MALARIA, Philosophical transactions-Royal Society of London. Biological sciences, 346(1317), 1994, pp. 379-385
Citations number
38
Categorie Soggetti
Biology
ISSN journal
09628436
Volume
346
Issue
1317
Year of publication
1994
Pages
379 - 385
Database
ISI
SICI code
0962-8436(1994)346:1317<379:HAANBM>2.0.ZU;2-J
Abstract
The extraordinary polymorphism of human leukocyte antigens (KLA) poses a question as to how this remarkable diversity arose and is maintaine d. The explanation that infectious pathogens are largely responsible i s theoretically attractive but clear and consistent associations betwe en HLA alleles and major infectious diseases have rarely been identifi ed. Large case-control studies of HLA types in African children with s evere malaria indicate that HLA associations with this parasitic infec tion do exist and it is becoming possible to investigate the underlyin g mechanisms by identification of peptide epitopes in parasite antigen s. Such analysis reveals how the magnitude and detectability of HLA as sociations may be influenced by numerous genetic and environmental fac tors. These complex interactions will give rise to variation over time and space in the selective pressures exerted by infectious diseases a nd this fluctuation may, in itself, contribute to the maintenance of H LA polymorphism.