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NEGATIVE EPISTASIS BETWEEN α + THALASSAEMIA AND SICKLE CELL TRAIT CAN EXPLAIN INTERPOPULATION VARIATION IN SOUTH ASIA
Author(s) -
Penman Bridget S.,
Habib Saman,
Kanchan Kanika,
Gupta Sunetra
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01408.x
Subject(s) - biology , malaria , sickle cell trait , trait , epistasis , beta thalassaemia , population , genetics , evolutionary biology , thalassemia , immunology , gene , disease , demography , medicine , sociology , computer science , programming language
Recent studies in Kenya and Ghana have shown that individuals who inherit two malaria‐protective genetic disorders of haemoglobin—α + thalassaemia and sickle cell trait—experience a much lower level of malaria protection than those who inherit sickle cell trait alone. We have previously demonstrated that this can limit the frequency of α + thalassaemia in a population in which sickle cell is present, which may account for the frequency of α + thalassaemia in sub‐Saharan Africa not exceeding 50%. Here we consider the relationship between α + thalassaemia and sickle cell in South Asian populations, and show that very high levels of α + thalassaemia combined with varying levels of malaria selection can explain why sickle cell has penetrated certain South Asian populations but not others.