The duffy blood group system is functionally associated with:

# The duffy blood group system is functionally associated with:

a. Invasion by P. falciparum

b. Red cell urea transporter

c. Maintenance of membrane integrity

d. Invasion by P. vivax

The correct answer is: D. Invasion by P. vivax.

Duffy antigen is a receptor for Plasmodium vivax.

• The receptor for P. falciparum on RBCs are glycophorins

• Red cell urea transporter is the Kidd antigen and its absence can be associated with impaired urea transport and urine concentrating defect.

• Integral membrane proteins are band 3, glycophorins, Rh, Kell,  Kidd, Duffy and Lutheran glycoproteins. Though Duffy is an integral membrane protein but it is not the major protein involved in the overall integrity of RBC membrane.

• The peripheral membrane proteins are spectrin, ankyrin, actin, protein 4.1, 4.2 and 4.9, p 55 and the adducins.

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