Genes, Vol. 15, Pages 522: HLA-B and C Expression Contributes to COVID-19 Disease Severity within a South African Cohort

Genes, Vol. 15, Pages 522: HLA-B and C Expression Contributes to COVID-19 Disease Severity within a South African Cohort Genes doi: 10.3390/genes15040522 Authors: Lisa Naidoo Thilona Arumugam Veron Ramsuran Globally, SARS-CoV-2 has negatively impacted many lives and industries due to its rapid spread, severe outcomes, and the need for the implementation of lockdown strategies across the world. SARS-CoV-2 disease severity varies among different populations. Host genetics have been associated with various diseases, and their ability to alter disease susceptibility and severity. In addition, Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) expression levels and alleles vary significantly among ethnic groups, which might impact the host’s response to SARS-CoV-2. Our previous study highlighted that HLA-A might have an effect on COVID-19 disease severity across ethnicities. Therefore, in this study, we aim to examine the effect of HLA-B and C expression levels on COVID-19 disease severity. To achieve this, we used real-time PCR to measure the HLA mRNA expression levels of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals from a South African cohort and compared them across ethnic groups, disease outcomes, gender, comorbidities, and age. Our results show (1) that the effect of HLA-B mRNA expression levels was associated with differences in disease severity when we compare symptomatic vs. asymptomatic (p < 0.0001). While HLA-C mRNA expression levels were not associated with COVID-19 ...
Source: Genes - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research