A single-step assay for the Gerbich-negative allele of glycophorin C

The Gerbich erythrocyte surface protein, glycophorin C (GYPC), can be used by Plasmodium falciparum to invade erythrocytes. The Melanesian Gerbich-negative antigenic condition (Ge(−)) is frequent in some populations where malaria is endemic, suggesting that it protects against malaria. We have determined as precisely as possible the breakpoint of the chromosomal deletion that causes the Ge(−) condition by comparing the partial GYPC sequence of a Papuan Ge(−/−) homozygous individual with known sequences of GYPC. This localisation has allowed us to develop a robust single-step PCR assay suitable for rapid screening of Ge(−). This method is easier to implement than existing methods, can reliably identify heterozygous individuals, and will considerably aid efforts to study the distribution of Ge(−) and its role in protection against malaria.