Erythrocytes lacking the Langereis blood group protein ABCB6 are resistant to the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Elizabeth S. Egan; Michael P. Weekes; Usheer Kanjee; Jale Manzo; Ashwin Srinivasan; Christine Lomas-Francis; Connie Westhoff; Junko Takahashi; Mitsunobu Tanaka; Seishi Watanabe; Carlo Brugnara; Steven P. Gygi; Yoshihiko Tani; Manoj T. Duraisingh

doi:10.1038/s42003-018-0046-2

Communications Biology (May 2018)

Erythrocytes lacking the Langereis blood group protein ABCB6 are resistant to the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Elizabeth S. Egan,
Michael P. Weekes,
Usheer Kanjee,
Jale Manzo,
Ashwin Srinivasan,
Christine Lomas-Francis,
Connie Westhoff,
Junko Takahashi,
Mitsunobu Tanaka,
Seishi Watanabe,
Carlo Brugnara,
Steven P. Gygi,
Yoshihiko Tani,
Manoj T. Duraisingh

Affiliations

Elizabeth S. Egan: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Michael P. Weekes: Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School
Usheer Kanjee: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Jale Manzo: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Ashwin Srinivasan: Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine
Christine Lomas-Francis: The Laboratory of Immunohematology and Genomics, New York Blood Center
Connie Westhoff: The Laboratory of Immunohematology and Genomics, New York Blood Center
Junko Takahashi: Japanese Red Cross Kinki Block Blood Center
Mitsunobu Tanaka: Japanese Red Cross Kinki Block Blood Center
Seishi Watanabe: Japanese Red Cross Kyushu Block Blood Center
Carlo Brugnara: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital
Steven P. Gygi: Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School
Yoshihiko Tani: Japanese Red Cross Kinki Block Blood Center
Manoj T. Duraisingh: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-018-0046-2
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 1, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Elizabeth Egan and colleagues demonstrate that host ATP binding cassette transporter ABCB6, which encodes the Langereis blood group antigen, promotes erythrocyte invasion by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. This study suggests that asymptomatic Langereis null individuals may be better protected from malaria.

Published in Communications Biology

ISSN: 2399-3642 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.nature.com/commsbio/

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