Hernandez-Valladares M, Rihet P, Iraqi FA. Host susceptibility to malaria in human and mice: compatible approaches to identify potential resistant genes. Physiol Genomics 46: 1-16, 2014. First published October 29, 2013 doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00044.2013.-There is growing evidence for human genetic factors controlling the outcome of malaria infection, while molecular basis of this genetic control is still poorly understood. Case-control and family-based studies have been carried out to identify genes underlying host susceptibility to malarial infection. Parasitemia and mild malaria have been genetically linked to human chromosomes 5q31-q33 and 6p21.3, and several immune genes located within those regions have been associated with malaria-related phenotypes. Association and linkage studies of resistance to malaria are not easy to carry out in human populations, because of the difficulty in surveying a significant number of families. Murine models have proven to be an excellent genetic tool for studying host response to malaria; their use allowed mapping 14 resistance loci, eight of them controlling parasitic levels and six controlling cerebral malaria. Once quantitative trait loci or genes have been identified, the human ortholog may then be identified. Comparative mapping studies showed that a couple of human and mouse might share similar genetically controlled mechanisms of resistance. In this way, char8, which controls parasitemia, was mapped on chromosome 11; char8 corresponds to human chromosome 5q31-q33 and contains immune genes, such as Il3, Il4, Il5, Il12b, Il13, Irf1, and Csf2. Nevertheless, part of the genetic factors controlling malaria traits might differ in both hosts because of specific hostpathogen interactions. Finally, novel genetic tools including animal models were recently developed and will offer new opportunities for identifying genetic factors underlying host phenotypic response to malaria, which will help in better therapeutic strategies including vaccine and drug development. malaria; genetic resistance; human; mouse model; QT mapping PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM MALARIA remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in many developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cases in 2012 reached 219 million [95% confidence interval (CI) 154 -289 million], among which Ͼ660,000 (95% CI 490,000 -836,000) were fatal (62, 181a). Drug-resistant parasite strains are spreading rapidly across the world, and, despite substantial efforts and encouraging results from recent trials, a fully protective malaria vaccine remains a distant prospect (154). Vaccine development faces major difficulties partly due to the genetic control of immunity to the parasite (155,156,163,176) and/or to the parasitic antigenic variation (146).The outcome of human malaria infection is thought to depend on both parasite and host genetic factors. P. falciparum genotypes have been associated with differences in disease outcome (41) and may be subject to selective pressure (34,55). The influ...