Extended Data Fig. 6: Relationship between biophysical properties in non-Dantu and Dantu-homozygote RBCs.
From: Red blood cell tension protects against severe malaria in the Dantu blood group
a, Scatter plot showing the correlation between tension and radius in non-Dantu and Dantu-homozygote RBCs. The coloured points in the background are all the data considered for non-Dantu (249) and Dantu (247) RBCs from six different biological replicates. The big marks in the foreground represent the mean and standard deviation in tension and radius of the six samples for non-Dantu and Dantu RBCs. There is a linear inverse relation between radius and tension: RBCs with higher tension have lower radii. The radius change between Dantu and non-Dantu RBCs is very small (0.3 μm); we believe that the decrease in equatorial radius is due to a shape change caused by increased tension, and that the two biophysical parameters have no different fluctuation modes. b, The impact of tension on RBC deformation during pre-invasion, induced by merozoites contacting RBCs, was compared across Dantu genotype groups. RBCs having tension above the tension threshold tended to be weakly deformed (scores 0 and 1), whereas RBCs with tensions below the threshold were more strongly deformed (scores 2 and 3). Deformation scores are as defined in ref. 10.
