Association analyses of NCR3 polymorphisms with P. falciparum mild malaria

Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in many developing countries especially in sub-Saharan Africa. A susceptibility locus for mild malaria has been mapped to the MHC region, and TNF polymorphisms have been associated with mild malaria. The Natural Cytotoxicity-triggering Receptor 3 (NCR3) gene is located in the peak region of linkage, and is 15 kb distal to TNF. In this study, we considered NCR3 as a candidate gene, and we genotyped ten NCR3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Here, we report evidence of an association between mild malaria and NCR3 −412G > C polymorphism located within the promoter. Population-based association analysis showed that NCR3 −412C carriers had more frequent mild malaria attacks than NCR3 −412GG individuals (P = 0.001). Using the family-based association test (FBAT) program and its phenotype (PBAT) option, we further found that NCR3 −412C (P = 0.0009) and a haplotype containing NCR3 −412C (P = 0.008) were significantly associated with increased risk of mild malaria, and that the association was not due to the association of TNF with mild malaria. These observations suggest that there are at least two genes located on the central region of MHC involved in genetic control of human malaria. The association of NCR3 with malaria should provide new insights into the role of Natural Killer cells in this common disease.