Featured
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Letter |
A novel locus of resistance to severe malaria in a region of ancient balancing selection
A multi-centre genome-wide association study of severe malaria in African children uncovers a new resistance locus close to a cluster of genes encoding glycophorins, which are receptors used by the malaria-causing parasite to invade red blood cells.
- Gavin Band
- , Kirk A. Rockett
- & Victoria Cornelius
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Letter |
Mechanism of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense resistance to human serum
This study shows that Trypanosoma brucei gambiense resists trypanolytic factors (TLFs) in a multifactorial manner, relying on a hydrophobic β-sheet of the TgsGP glycoprotein, which prevents APOL1 toxicity and induces membrane stiffening, as well as a reduction in sensitivity to APOL1 requiring cysteine protease activity and TLF-1 receptor inactivation owing to a single amino acid substitution.
- Pierrick Uzureau
- , Sophie Uzureau
- & Etienne Pays
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Research Highlights |
Infection breaks truce
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Letter |
Coevolution in multidimensional trait space favours escape from parasites and pathogens
Although pathogens and parasites have short life cycles that let them evolve rapidly, victims can match or overcome exploiter evolution when coevolution involves multiple traits.
- R. Tucker Gilman
- , Scott L. Nuismer
- & Dwueng-Chwuan Jhwueng
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Letter |
TSLP promotes interleukin-3-independent basophil haematopoiesis and type 2 inflammation
- Mark C. Siracusa
- , Steven A. Saenz
- & David Artis
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News & Views |
Culprit within a culprit
The parasitic infection mucocutaneous leishmaniasis can vary in severity. It emerges that the levels of an RNA virus within the parasite affect both the host's immune response and the parasite's persistence.
- Martin Olivier