Scientists of the University of British Columbia found that certain variations in the ABO gene can significantly increase the risk of COVID-19 disease when the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus hit in the body. The researchers presented their findings at the ATS 2021 conference. This is reported in a press release on MedicalXpress.
Specialists combined information about the activity of genes in the lungs of both healthy people and patients infected with coronavirus, with data on the activity of genes in the tissues of the lungs in a healthy population, as well as the synthesis of proteins in people, not sick COVID-19. This allowed scientists to identify specific biomarkers associated with human susceptibility to coronavirus infection.
It turned out that several genes responsible for the reaction of the immune system at COVID-19 are also responsible for the vulnerability of the patient for coronavirus. In particular, the ABO gene determining the blood group contributes a significant contribution to susceptibility to infection. This is confirmed by previous studies that revealed the connection between the blood group and the large risk of infection. In addition, people carrying certain genetic variants of SLC6A20, ERMP1, FCER1G and CA11 also have a significantly higher risk of developing COVID-19.