Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.21 (beta-glucosidase)
 3,280 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Favism is a severe, acute haemolytic anaemia which occurs in about 20% of G6PD deficient subjects after ingestion of fava beans. Since not all G6PD deficient subjects are sensitive to fava beans, the possibility has been suggested that extra erythrocytic factors may play an important role in the susceptibility to haemolytic favism. To test the hypothesis that an autosomal enzyme is involved in the pathogenesis of favism, we carried out a beta-glucosidase assay in small intestine biopsies from normal subjects and G6PD deficient subjects with or without favism. Beta-glucosidase might be involved in the absorption and metabolism of fava beans and a quantitative polymorphism could explain the different susceptibility to fava beans of G6PD deficient subjects. Our observation showed no consistent quantitative polymorphism of beta-glucosidase in the subjects examined.
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PMID:Favism: looking for an autosomal gene associated with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. 643 90

The balanced polymorphism of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD-) is believed to have evolved through the selective pressure of malarial combined with consumption of fava beans. The implicated fava bean constituents are the hydroxypyrimidine glucosides vicine and convicine, which upon hydrolysis of their beta-O-glucosidic bond, became protein pro-oxidants. In this work we show that the glucosides inhibit the growth of Plasmodium falciparum, increase the hexose-monophosphate shunt activity and the phagocytosis of malaria-infected erythrocytes. These activities are exacerbated in the presence of beta-glucosidase, implicating their pro-oxidant aglycones in the toxic effect, and are more pronounced in infected G6PD- erythrocytes. These results suggest that G6PD- infected erythrocytes are more susceptible to phagocytic cells, and that fava bean pro-oxidants are more efficiently suppressing parasite propagation in G6PD- erythrocytes, either by directly affecting parasite growth, or by means of enhanced phagocytic elimination of infected cells. The present findings could account for the relative resistance of G6PD- bearers to falciparum malaria, and establish a link between dietary habits and malaria in the selection of the G6PD- genotype.
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PMID:Resistance of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency to malaria: effects of fava bean hydroxypyrimidine glucosides on Plasmodium falciparum growth in culture and on the phagocytosis of infected cells. 871 Apr 17