Host Genetic Variants Potentially Associated With SARS-CoV-2: A Multi-Population Analysis.
Maria K Smatti1,2, Yasser A Al-Sarraj1, Omar Albagha1,3
1College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar.
Frontiers in Genetics
|November 2, 2020
Summary
Genetic variations influence COVID-19 severity, with significant differences observed across global populations. Africans exhibit the lowest frequencies of risk alleles, highlighting the importance of population genetics in understanding disease outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- COVID-19 clinical outcomes show significant inter-individual and inter-population variability.
- Host genetics are a potential driver of these differences in disease severity.
- Previous studies identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with SARS-CoV-1 in Eastern Asian populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the frequency of genetic polymorphisms potentially affecting SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility or severity.
- To investigate genetic variants previously associated with SARS-CoV-1.
- To compare allelic frequencies across different global populations.
Main Methods:
- Identified SNPs from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for SARS-CoV-1 and other viruses.
- Collected expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data for identified SNPs.
- Calculated and compared allelic frequencies (AF) using data from the Qatar Genome Programme (QGP) and the 1000 Genomes project.
Main Results:
- Identified 74 SNPs in 10 genes (ICAM3, IFN-γ, CCL2, CCL5, AHSG, MBL, Furin, TMPRSS2, IL4, CD209).
- Qatari genomes showed significantly lower AF of risk variants linked to SARS-CoV-1 severity compared to 1000 Genomes/EAS populations.
- Africans exhibited extremely low frequencies of SARS-CoV-1 susceptibility alleles (up to 32-fold decrease).
Conclusions:
- Significant population-specific variation exists for genetic variants potentially modulating SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Lowest allele frequencies for these variants were observed in African populations.
- Population genetics are crucial for understanding and predicting COVID-19 outcomes, necessitating further research.
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