Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26416757›Full record

ArticleNature2015

A novel locus of resistance to severe malaria in a region of ancient balancing selection.

Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network, Gavin Band, Kirk A Rockett, Chris C A Spencer, Dominic P Kwiatkowski

Open access · greenAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Nature, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 124 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
124citing papers in PubMed
25.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

124 citing papers in PubMed, 223 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
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  9. Human genetic variations conferring resistance to malaria.Journal of translational medicine · 2025
    Review
  10. Mendelian Randomization and Infection: Pitfalls and Promises.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Dantu Blood Group Erythrocytes Form Large Plasmodium falciparum Rosettes Less Commonly.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024
    Article
  20. A novel locus inFrontiers in genetics · 2024
    Article

64 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network
Gavin Band
Kirk A Rockett
Chris C A Spencer
Dominic P Kwiatkowski
Wellcome Sanger Institute · GB

Funding

Safety, Immunogenicity and Efficacy of VaccineU19AI065683 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · PI BLACKWELDER, WILLIAM C. · 2005 to 2009
$4.7M
MALARIA RESEARCH TRAINING IN MALID43TW001589 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · PI PLOWE, CHRISTOPHER V. · 2000 to 2015
$2.8M
Malaria:Clinical Research and Trial Preparation Sites-26685346N01AI085346 · NIAID · Univ Maryland · 1998 to 2004
$2.8M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW001589FIC NIH HHS D43TW001589Medical Research Council G0600230Medical Research Council G0600718Medical Research Council G19/9Medical Research Council G9901439Medical Research Council MC_UP_A900_1118Medical Research Council MR/M006212/1NIAID NIH HHS N01 AI085346NIAID NIH HHS U19 AI065683NIAID NIH HHS U19AI065683Wellcome Trust 075491/Z/04Wellcome Trust 076934/Z/05/ZWellcome Trust 077012/Z/05/ZWellcome Trust 084538Wellcome Trust 087285Wellcome Trust 090532/Z/09/ZWellcome Trust 090770Wellcome Trust 090770/Z/09/ZWellcome Trust 091758Wellcome Trust 091758/Z/10/ZWellcome Trust 096527Wellcome Trust 097364/Z/11/ZWellcome Trust 098051Wellcome Trust WT077383/Z/05/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The high prevalence of sickle haemoglobin in Africa shows that malaria has been a major force for human evolutionary selection, but surprisingly few other polymorphisms have been proven to confer resistance to malaria in large epidemiological studies. To address this problem, we conducted a multi-centre genome-wide association study (GWAS) of life-threatening Plasmodium falciparum infection (severe malaria) in over 11,000 African children, with replication data in a further 14,000 individuals. Here we report a novel malaria resistance locus close to a cluster of genes encoding glycophorins that are receptors for erythrocyte invasion by P. falciparum. We identify a haplotype at this locus that provides 33% protection against severe malaria (odds ratio = 0.67, 95% confidence interval = 0.60-0.76, P value = 9.5 × 10(-11)) and is linked to polymorphisms that have previously been shown to have features of ancient balancing selection, on the basis of haplotype sharing between humans and chimpanzees. Taken together with previous observations on the malaria-protective role of blood group O, these data reveal that two of the strongest GWAS signals for severe malaria lie in or close to genes encoding the glycosylated surface coat of the erythrocyte cell membrane, both within regions of the genome where it appears that evolution has maintained diversity for millions of years. These findings provide new insights into the host-parasite interactions that are critical in determining the outcome of malaria infection.

Indexed as

Genome-Wide Association StudyABO Blood-Group SystemAfricaAnimalsChildConserved SequenceErythrocyte MembraneErythrocytesEvolution, MolecularExtracellular Matrix ProteinsFemaleGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGlycophorinsHaplotypesHost-Parasite InteractionsHumansABO Blood-Group SystemExtracellular Matrix ProteinsFREM3 protein, humanGlycophorins

Identifiers

PMID26416757
PMCPMC4629224
OpenAlexW1856196215

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.