WHO KNEW THIS!?!? Sickle cell is an evolutionary DNA mutation of sub Saharan Africans to protect against and/or prevent malaria!! Sickle cell anemia is a blood disease in which red blood cells reveal an abnormal crescent (or sickle) shape when observed under a conventional microscope. It is an inherited disorder -- the first ever to be attributed to a specific genetic modification (mutation), in 1949 by Linus Pauling (two-times Nobel laureate, for Chemistry in 1954, and Peace, in 1962). The cause of sickle cell anemia was attributed unequivocally to a single base substitution in the DNA influence of the gene encoding the beta chain of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. Only those individual that inherit two copies of the sickle mutation (one from their mother and the other from their father) develop sickle cell anemia. If untreated, these individuals have a shorter than normal life expectancy and as such it would be expected that this mutation would be rare in human populations. This is however, far from being the case. Observations made during the mid-20th century and building on Paulings findings, revealed that the sickle mutation is, in fact, highly, selected in populations from areas of the world were malaria is very frequent, with sometimes 10-40% of the population carrying this mutation. Individuals carrying just one copy of the sickle mutation (inherited from either the father or mother) were known not to develop sickle cell anemia, leading rather normal lives. However, it was found that these same individuals, said to carry the sickle cell trait, were in fact highly protected against malaria, thus explaining the high prevalence of this mutation in geographical areas where malaria is endemic. These findings lead to the widespread believe in the medical community that understanding the mechanism whereby sickle cell trait protects against malaria would provide critical insight into developing treatment or a possible cure for this devastating disease, responsible for over a million premature deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite several decades of research, the mechanism underlying this protective effect remained elusive. Until now. ScienceDaily
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 19:19:07 +0000
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