Cure on the way? Genes that up risk of dengue infection found

Cure on the way? Genes that up risk of dengue infection found

 Scientists have identified two genes which they claim increase a person’s risk of getting dengue, with nearly 100 million infections occurring annually worldwide.
    An international team has found changes in the DNA code located in two genes — MICB on chromosome 6 and PLCE1 on chromosome 10 — which increases a person’s susceptibility to dengue shock syndrome, ofering vital clues to how the body responds to the infection.
    MICB plays a role in the body’s immune system and the team believes that a variant of this gene may affect the activation of natural killer cells or CD8 T-cells, two types
of cells that combat viral infection. If these cells malfunction, their ability to eliminate the dengue virus is impaired. This hypothesis is consistent with evidence that increased viral loads occur in tissues of patients with severe dengue.
    Mutations in PLCE1 have previously been linked to nephrotic syndrome, a childhood disease characterized by impairment of kidney cells.
    The scientists believe that PLCE1 may also contribute to the normal functioning of the vascular endothelium, the thin layer of cells that lines interior surface of blood vessels, with some variants of PLCE1 predisposing an individual to leakage from the blood vessels.