Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: cat_with_no_eyes on 01/01/2011 22:55:03

Title: How can sickle cell anaemia adapt to change and lead to evolution?
Post by: cat_with_no_eyes on 01/01/2011 22:55:03

How will it adapt to change and mutations to become stronger and resilient using its change of traits from past generations which have led to now?

Title: How can sickle cell anaemia adapt to change and lead to evolution?
Post by: CliffordK on 02/01/2011 00:47:25

There are many notes indicating that the heterozygous sickle cell trait may provide resistance to Malaria.

Everything indicates that Hemoglobin-S results from a single nucleotide mutation, so the actual mutation hasn't "evolved".  Rather, the resistance to Malaria has led to an increasing concentration of the mutation in Malaria Endemic regions. 

The sickle cell disease is most harmful in homozygote form, with two essentially identical mutated genes inherited from each parent.

See these papers for a lengthy discussion about Sickle Cell and Malaria (along with other genetic blood disorders).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1224522/?tool=pmcentrez
http://sickle.bwh.harvard.edu/malaria_sickle.html