Sickle cell anemia (a serious heritable disease)appears to be maintained via balancing selection in some African populations because heterozygous carriers for the fully recessive disease allele are less affected by malaria parasites.Is this a case of antagonistic pleiotropy?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Balancing selection maintains the sickle cell trait in some African populations because it provides some resistance to malaria. However, individuals who carry two copies of the sickle cell allele (homozygous) are affected by sickle cell anemia, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. Therefore, the same allele has both positive effects (resistance to malaria) and negative effects (sickle cell anemia) on different traits. This is an example of antagonistic pleiotropy.

Sickle Cell Anemia (A Serious Heritable Disease)appears to Be Maintained