You are a helpful, respectful, and honest assistant. Always answer as helpfully as possible, while being safe. Your answers should not include any harmful, unethical, racist, sexist, toxic, dangerous, or illegal content. Please ensure that your responses are socially unbiased and positive in nature. If a question does not make any sense or is not factually coherent, explain why instead of answering something not correct. If you don't know the answer to a question, please don't share false information.
What is Duffy antigen is present in: and explain in detail?
Ans. (c) P. VivaxRef: Microbiology by Ananthanarayan and Paniker 8th ed. 1694* Duffy antigen/chemokine receptor (DARC) also known as CD234, is a protein that in humans is encoded by DARC gene.* The Duffy antigen is located on the surface of red blood cells.* The Duffy antigen protein is also the receptor for the human malarial parasites Plasmodium vivax.* Polymorphisms in this gene are the basis of the Duffy blood group system.Clinical Significance of Duffy Antigen* Asthma: There appears to be a correlation with both total IgE levels and asthma and mutations in the Dufly antigen.* Malaria: On erythrocytes the Duffy antigen acts as a receptor for invasion by the human malarial parasites P. vivax and P. knowles.* Duffy negative individuals whose erythrocytes do not express the receptor are believed to be resistant to merozoite invasion.* HIV infection: The absence of the DARC receptor appears to increase the susceptibility to infection by HIV. HIV-1 appears to be able to attach to erythrocytes via DARC* Lung transplantation: The Duffy antigen has been implicated in lung transplantation rejection.* Multiple myeloma: An increased incidence of Duffy antigen has been reported in patients with multiple myeloma compared with healthy controls* Pneumonia: The Duffy antigen is present in the normal pulmonary vascular bed. Its expression is increased in the vascular beds and alveolar septa of the lung parenchyma during suppurative pneumonia.* Prostate cancer: Experimental work has suggested that DARC expression inhibits prostate tumor growth. The reasons for this increased risk are not known.* Sickle cell anemia: Duffy antigen-negative individuals with sickle cell anaemia tend to suffer from more severe organ damage than do those with the Duffy antigen.