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Duah-Quashie NO, Opoku-Agyeman P, Lanza M, Rubio JM. Polymorphisms in the human angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE) linked to susceptibility of COVID-19 and malaria infections in the Ghanaian population. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024; 119:105568. [PMID: 38367677 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Genetic variations in the human angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE) influence ACE enzyme expression levels in humans and subsequently influence both communicable and non-communicable disease outcomes. More recently, polymorphisms in this gene have been linked to susceptibility and outcomes of infectious diseases such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and malaria infections. This study is the first to investigate the genetic diversity of ACE and ACE2 polymorphisms in the Ghanaian population. Archived filter blood blot samples from malaria patients aged ≤9 years were used. Molecular analysis for the detection of ACE rs4646994 (I/D), ACE2 rs2106809 (C/T) and rs2285666 (G/A) alleles as well as ACE2 exons 1-4 polymorphisms was conducted on 300 samples. The D allele (54%,162/300) was the most dominant polymorphism observed in the ACE rs4646994 gene whilst the G (68%, 204/300) and T alleles (59.3%,178/300) were the most frequent ACE2 rs2285666 and rs2106809 polymorphisms observed. For the 300 samples sequenced for ACE2 exons 1-4, analyses were done on 268, 282 and 137 quality sequences for exons 1, 2 and 3-4 respectively. For exon 1, the mutation D38N (2.2%; 6/268) was the most prevalent. The S19P and E37K mutations previously reported to influence COVID-19 infections were observed at low frequencies (0.4%, 1/268 each). No mutations were observed in exon 2. The N121K/T variants were the most seen in exons 3-4 at frequencies of 5.1% (K121, 7/137) and 2.9% (T121, 4/137) respectively. Most of the variants observed in the exons were novel compared to those reported in other populations in the world. This is the first study to investigate the genetic diversity of ACE and ACE2 genes in Ghanaians. The observation of novel mutations in the ACE2 gene is suggesting selection pressure. The importance of the mutations for communicable and non-communicable diseases (malaria and COVID-19) are further discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy O Duah-Quashie
- Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
| | - Philip Opoku-Agyeman
- Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Marta Lanza
- Malaria & Parasitic Emerging Diseases Laboratory, National Microbiology Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Miguel Rubio
- Malaria & Parasitic Emerging Diseases Laboratory, National Microbiology Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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Kandalgaonkar MR, Yeoh BS, Joe B, Schmidt NW, Vijay-Kumar M, Saha P. Hypertension Increases Susceptibility to Experimental Malaria in Mice. FUNCTION 2024; 5:zqae009. [PMID: 38706961 PMCID: PMC11065114 DOI: 10.1093/function/zqae009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Global prevalence of hypertension is on the rise, burdening healthcare, especially in developing countries where infectious diseases, such as malaria, are also rampant. Whether hypertension could predispose or increase susceptibility to malaria, however, has not been extensively explored. Previously, we reported that hypertension is associated with abnormal red blood cell (RBC) physiology and anemia. Since RBC are target host cells for malarial parasite, Plasmodium, we hypothesized that hypertensive patients with abnormal RBC physiology are at greater risk or susceptibility to Plasmodium infection. To test this hypothesis, normotensive (BPN/3J) and hypertensive (BPH/2J) mice were characterized for their RBC physiology and subsequently infected with Plasmodium yoelii (P. yoelii), a murine-specific non-lethal strain. When compared to BPN mice, BPH mice displayed microcytic anemia with RBC highly resistant to osmotic hemolysis. Further, BPH RBC exhibited greater membrane rigidity and an altered lipid composition, as evidenced by higher levels of phospholipids and saturated fatty acid, such as stearate (C18:0), along with lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acid like arachidonate (C20:4). Moreover, BPH mice had significantly greater circulating Ter119+ CD71+ reticulocytes, or immature RBC, prone to P. yoelii infection. Upon infection with P. yoelii, BPH mice experienced significant body weight loss accompanied by sustained parasitemia, indices of anemia, and substantial increase in systemic pro-inflammatory mediators, compared to BPN mice, indicating that BPH mice were incompetent to clear P. yoelii infection. Collectively, these data demonstrate that aberrant RBC physiology observed in hypertensive BPH mice contributes to an increased susceptibility to P. yoelii infection and malaria-associated pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mrunmayee R Kandalgaonkar
- Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Beng San Yeoh
- Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Bina Joe
- Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Nathan W Schmidt
- Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Herman B. Wells Center for Pediatric Research, and Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Matam Vijay-Kumar
- Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Piu Saha
- Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
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Nádasy GL, Balla A, Szekeres M. From Living in Saltwater to a Scarcity of Salt and Water, and Then an Overabundance of Salt-The Biological Roller Coaster to Which the Renin-Angiotensin System Has Had to Adapt: An Editorial. Biomedicines 2023; 11:3004. [PMID: 38002004 PMCID: PMC10669630 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11113004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a hormone with much more complex actions than is typical for other agonists with heterotrimeric G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- György L. Nádasy
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 37-47 Tűzoltó Street, 1094 Budapest, Hungary; (G.L.N.); (A.B.)
| | - András Balla
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 37-47 Tűzoltó Street, 1094 Budapest, Hungary; (G.L.N.); (A.B.)
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 2 Magyar Tudósok Körútja, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Mária Szekeres
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 37-47 Tűzoltó Street, 1094 Budapest, Hungary; (G.L.N.); (A.B.)
- Department of Morphology and Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Semmelweis University, 17 Vas Street, 1088 Budapest, Hungary
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Tiwari A, De A, Sinha A. Increasing blood pressure: could malaria have a role? Lancet Glob Health 2023; 11:e1697. [PMID: 37858581 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00419-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aparna Tiwari
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Atomic Energy, Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India
| | - Auley De
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Nirnayan Healthcare, Kolkata, India
| | - Abhinav Sinha
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India.
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Bello IS, Olajubu TO, Osundiya OO, Salami OT, Ibrahim AO, Ahmed AA. Malaria among the elderly in five communities of Osun East district, Southwest Nigeria: Prevalence and association with non-communicable diseases. SAGE Open Med 2023; 11:20503121231164259. [PMID: 37026104 PMCID: PMC10071164 DOI: 10.1177/20503121231164259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: The level of immunity against pathogens decreases with old age. As a result, the elderly may be regarded to be at increased risk of malaria morbidity and fatality. There is paucity of studies on malaria among the elderly population in Osun East district, Southwest Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malaria and its association with medical comorbidities among the elderly. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out, which involved 972 adult residents of five communities in Osun State, who were selected using a multistage random sampling technique. Data was collected with aid of a structured questionnaire. The medical history of respondents and anthropometric measures were obtained. The presence of malaria parasitaemia in the respondents was determined by rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Appropriate descriptive and inferential analyses were done. Results: Out of the 972 respondents, 504 (51.9%) were 60 years and above. The overall prevalence of malaria RDT positivity was 4%. The positivity rate was higher among the elderly (4.6%) compared to those less than 60 years (3.4%), albeit not statistically significant ( p = 0.36). Among these elderlies, 52.6% and 16.1% used insecticide-treated nets and insecticide sprays, respectively. There was no association between the prevalence of malaria positivity and comorbid conditions, such as hypertension ( p = 0.37), overweight/obesity ( p = 0.77), or diabetes ( p = 0.15). Malaria positivity rate was also not significantly associated with the use of insecticide-treated nets ( p = 0.64) or insecticide sprays ( p = 0.45). Conclusion: The malaria positivity rate was higher among the elderly in the study area, although not statistically significant. The prevalence was not associated with comorbid medical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim Sebutu Bello
- Department of Family Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
| | | | | | - Oluwasina Tajudeen Salami
- Department of Family Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
| | | | - Abdulakeem Ayanleye Ahmed
- Department of Family Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
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Papadopoulos KI, Papadopoulou A, Aw TC. A protective erythropoietin evolutionary landscape, NLRP3 inflammasome regulation, and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Hum Cell 2023; 36:26-40. [PMID: 36310304 PMCID: PMC9618415 DOI: 10.1007/s13577-022-00819-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The low incidence of pediatric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) lack a unifying pathophysiological explanation, impeding effective prevention and therapy. Activation of the NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein (NLRP) 3 inflammasome in SARS-CoV-2 with perturbed regulation in MIS-C, has been reported. We posit that, early age physiological states and genetic determinants, such as certain polymorphisms of renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) molecules, promote a controlled RAAS hyperactive state, and form an evolutionary landscape involving an age-dependent erythropoietin (EPO) elevation, mediating ancestral innate immune defenses that, through appropriate NLRP3 regulation, mitigate tissue injury and pathogen invasion. SARS-CoV-2-induced downregulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)2 expression in endothelial cells (EC), impairment of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) activity and downstream NO bioavailability, may promote a hyperactive RAAS with elevated angiotensin II and aldosterone that, can trigger, and accelerate NLRP3 inflammasome activation, while EPO-eNOS/NO abrogate it. Young age and a protective EPO evolutionary landscape may successfully inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and contain NLRP3 inflammasome activation. By contrast, increasing age and falling EPO levels, in genetically susceptible children with adverse genetic variants and co-morbidities, may lead to unopposed RAAS hyperactivity, NLRP3 inflammasome dysregulation, severe endotheliitis with pyroptotic cytokine storm, and development of autoantibodies, as already described in MIS-C. Our haplotype estimates, predicted from allele frequencies in population databases, are in concordance with MIS-C incidence reports in Europeans but indicate lower risks for Asians and African Americans. Targeted Mendelian approaches dissecting the influence of relevant genetic variants are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos I Papadopoulos
- Department of Research and Development, THAI StemLife Co., Ltd., 566/3 THAI StemLife Bldg., Soi Ramkhamhaeng 39 (Thepleela 1), Prachaouthit Rd., Wangthonglang, 10310, Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - Alexandra Papadopoulou
- Occupational and Environmental Health Services, Feelgood Lund, Ideon Science Park, Scheelevägen 17, 223 63, Lund, Sweden
| | - Tar-Choon Aw
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, 529889, Singapore
- Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119228, Singapore
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Deora N, Yadav C, Pande V, Sinha A. A systematic review and meta-analysis on sub-microscopic Plasmodium infections in India: Different perspectives and global challenges. THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. SOUTHEAST ASIA 2022; 2:100012. [PMID: 37383294 PMCID: PMC10305983 DOI: 10.1016/j.lansea.2022.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Background The long-term maintenance of parasite biomass below the detection threshold of microscopy may stymie malaria elimination. Variation in microscopists' competencies to detect and correctly identify parasite species reflect in microscopy sensitivity, resulting in incorrect species-specific burden. Methods The study estimated Plasmodium SMI pooled burden from published reports using a random effect model & identifies their hotspots in India. The study applied a prediction model for the first time on Indian data, emphasizing the importance of such models that can predict PCR-prevalence from slide- prevalence. Findings A total of 17,449 samples from 39 districts were examined for Plasmodium by microscopy and PCR. The overall heterogeneity in clinic-based and community-based studies was 91% and 96%, respectively, with the pooled prevalence of 3.63%. The SMI prevalence in individual studies ranged from 38.4% to 0.4%. Sensitivity of microscopy for mono-P. vivax (91%) was found to be better than mono-P. falciparum (82 %). But surprisingly, it was much lower for mixed PfPv (45%). Interpretation Primary regional data in the form of SMIs hot spots should be generated from countries on the verge of malaria elimination, and genetic monitoring should be integrated into national programs, particularly in key areas for successful malaria elimination. Funding Not applicable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimita Deora
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| | - C.P. Yadav
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Veena Pande
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Abhinav Sinha
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
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De A, Dash M, Tiwari A, Sinha A. Malaria, COVID-19 and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2: what does the available population data say? Open Biol 2021; 11:210213. [PMID: 34637655 PMCID: PMC8510699 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The etiopathogenesis of COVID-19 and its differential geographic spread suggest some populations are apparently 'less affected' through many host-related factors that involve angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) protein, which is also the entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2. The role of ACE2 has been well studied in COVID-19 but not in the context of malaria and COVID-19. We have previously suggested how malaria might intersect with COVID-19 through ACE2 mutation and here we evaluate the currently available data that could provide a link between the two diseases. Based on the existing global and Indian data on malaria, COVID-19 and the suggested ACE2 mutation, the association could not be examined robustly, neither accepting nor refuting the suggested hypothesis. We strongly recommend targeted evaluation of this hypothesis through carefully designed robust molecular epidemiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. De
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - M. Dash
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - A. Tiwari
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - A. Sinha
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
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