Duffy Blood Group Chemokine Receptor (DARC)

Duffy blood group, chemokine receptor (DARC) acts as a non-classical chemokine receptor that does not signal but rather acts as a scavenger protein. It is also the receptor for the human malaria parasites Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi.The Duffy system enjoys the distinction of being the first blood group whose genetic locus was assigned to a specific autosome, i.e., chromosome 1. On the basis of families studied in Rochester, N.Y., Weitkamp (1972) could demonstrate no linkage of the HBB locus and Duffy, as had been suggested by Nance et al. (1970). An earlier suspicion of localization to chromosome 16  was apparently in error. Duffy and the locus for a form of hereditary cataract  are closely linked. From extensive family studies, Robson et al. (1973) arrived at a tentative map of chromosome 1.