Scientists have discovered in more detail than ever before how the human body's immune system reacts to malaria and sickle cell disease. The researchers have published their findings in Nature Communications.
Every year there are ~200 million cases of malaria, which causes ~400,000 deaths.
As it causes resistance against malaria, the sickle cell disease mutation has spread widely, especially in people from Africa.
But if a child inherits a double dose of the gene - from both mother and father - they will develop sickle cell disease. Around 20,000 children are born with sickle cell disease every year and it is now the commonest single-gene disorder among the UK population. Despite this, much about it remains poorly understood.
The researchers discovered that sugars called mannoses are expressed on the surfaces of both red blood cells infected with malarial parasites and also affected by sickle cell disease. The mannoses cause both infected cells and sickle cells to be eaten in the spleen.
The authors found that patches of high mannose N-glycans (Man5-9GlcNAc2), expressed on diseased or oxidized RBC surfaces, bind the mannose receptor (CD206) on phagocytes to mediate clearance. The authors also found that extravascular hemolysis in sickle cell disease correlates with high mannose glycan levels on RBCs.
Furthermore, Plasmodium falciparum-infected RBCs expose surface mannose N-glycans, which occur at significantly higher levels on infected RBCs from sickle cell trait subjects compared to those lacking hemoglobin S.
The glycans are associated with high molecular weight complexes and protease-resistant, lower molecular weight fragments containing spectrin. Recognition of surface N-linked high mannose glycans as a response to cellular stress is a molecular mechanism common to both the pathogenesis of sickle cell disease and resistance to severe malaria in sickle cell trait.
Lead investigator said: "Malaria and sickle cell disease are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths a year but many aspects of how the body's immune system reacts to these diseases are not fully understood.
"This collaborative project has revealed more than ever before about the chains of events that occur in these diseases and can hopefully contribute to research into new treatments."
Co-author said: "This is a truly seminal discovery that sheds light on how abnormal red blood cells are recognised and cleared by the immune system, with exciting implications for future therapeutic approaches to treat a range of diseases including malaria and sickle cell disease described here"
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_849582_en.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21814-z
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fred-blood-cell-mannoses&filter=22
Sugar coatings on red blood cells mediate both sickle cell anaemia and malaria resistance
- 1,287 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
How antisense non-coding RN…
By newseditor
Posted 07 Jul
3D maps of diseased tissues…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Jul
How GLP-1 receptor agonists…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Jul
Pan-cancer proteogenomics e…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jul
Fertility treatments could…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jul
Other Top Stories
Teamwork between cells fuels aggressive childhood brain tumor
Read more
Role of extracellular matrix protein in breast cancer growth
Read more
Increasing esophageal cancer therapeutic efficacy using infrared na…
Read more
Mapping DNA damage links to onset of skin cancer
Read more
Crystal structure reveals how curcumin impairs cancer
Read more
Protocols
Pan-cancer proteogenomics c…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jul
A systems biology-based ide…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jul
Tongue orthotopic xenograft…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
Monitoring norepinephrine r…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Jul
BicemuS: A new tool for neu…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jun
Publications
dsRNA formation leads to pr…
By newseditor
Posted 07 Jul
BACH1 inhibits senescence,…
By newseditor
Posted 07 Jul
Bone transport induces the…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Jul
Hypothalamic neuronal activ…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Jul
Prevention of Falls in Olde…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jul
Presentations
Myelin plasticity in the ve…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar