The Duffy T-33C is an insightful marker of human history and admixture

Prevalence and distribution of Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein gene duplications in Sudan

Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein (PvDBP) is essential for interacting with Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) on the surface of red blood cells to allow invasion. Earlier whole genome sequence analyses provided evidence for the duplications of PvDBP. It is unclear whether PvDBP duplications play a role in recent increase of P. vivax in Sudan and in Duffy-negative individuals. In this study, the prevalence and type of PvDBP duplications, and its relationship to demographic and clinical features were investigated. A total of 200 malaria-suspected blood samples were collected from health facilities in Khartoum, River Nile, and Al-Obied. Among them, 145 were confirmed to be P. vivax, and 43 (29.7%) had more than one PvDBP copies with up to four copies being detected. Both the Malagasy and Cambodian types of PvDBP duplication were detected. No significant difference was observed between the two types of duplications between Duffy groups. Parasitemia was significantly higher in samples with the Malagasy-type than those without duplications. No significant difference was observed in PvDBP duplication prevalence and copy number among study sites. The functional significance of PvDBP duplications, especially those Malagasy-type that associated with higher parasitemia, merit further investigations.

Genetic diversity of the Sudanese: insights on origin and implications for health

By virtue of their cultural, linguistic and genetic legacies, many populations from Sudan have deep histories in the region and retain high genetic diversities. Sudan’s location in north east Africa, a unique spot believed to act as a climatic refuge during periods of climate extremes, might have dictated that fate. Among the marked consequences of this diversity is the potential to provide information on the origin and structure of human populations within and outside the continent, as well as migration patterns towards various parts of the African continent, and out of Africa. The diverse Sudanese gene pool further has the potential to inform on genetic adaptations driven by culture and the environment resulting in unique and interesting traits, some of which are yet to be investigated. In addition, these genomes could offer clues to complex issues of causation amidst the challenge of new paradigms in biology underpinned by the genomic revolution.

The Y chromosome ancestry marker R1b1b2: a surrogate of the SARS-CoV-2 population affinity

Individual and population susceptibilities to disease remain a murky area of investigation, clouded by past bias based on ideological differences and wars. The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the largest in living memory, brought this matter to forefront as the disparity in disease burden became apparent. A timeline analysis of the pandemic revealed the presence of country clusters that display a marked preponderance of disease among populations carrying the ancestry marker R1b1b2, notably associated with both infection and mortality. This marker is a relic of past human expansions from western Asia and subsequently Europe and the rest of the world, which may have been accompanied by peculiar biological events rendering these populations vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2.