Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Thirumalaisamy P. Velavan, Srinivas Reddy Pallerla, Jule Rueter, Yolanda Augustin, Peter G. Kremsner, Sanjeev Krishna, Christian G. Meyer
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 presents a significant challenge, with disease severity influenced by factors such as age, gender, BMI, and pre-existing conditions. Host genetic predisposition is increasingly recognized, with numerous genetic variants associated with susceptibility and severity of COVID-19.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Joao Fadista, Luke M. Kraven, Juha Karjalainen, Shea J. Andrews, Frank Geller, J. Kenneth Baillie, Louise Wain, R. Gisli Jenkins, Bjarke Feenstra
Summary: There is a positive genetic correlation between IPF and COVID-19 severity, but the causal relationship between IPF and COVID-19 severity is not clear. However, one specific IPF risk gene shows a causal effect on COVID-19 severity, while another IPF risk gene appears to have a protective effect against COVID-19 hospitalization in older adults.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sirui Zhou, Guillaume Butler-Laporte, Tomoko Nakanishi, David R. Morrison, Jonathan Afilalo, Marc Afilalo, Laetitia Laurent, Maik Pietzner, Nicola Kerrison, Kaiqiong Zhao, Elsa Brunet-Ratnasingham, Danielle Henry, Nofar Kimchi, Zaman Afrasiabi, Nardin Rezk, Meriem Bouab, Louis Petitjean, Charlotte Guzman, Xiaoqing Xue, Chris Tselios, Branka Vulesevic, Olumide Adeleye, Tala Abdullah, Noor Almamlouk, Yiheng Chen, Michael Chasse, Madeleine Durand, Clare Paterson, Johan Normark, Robert Frithiof, Miklos Lipcsey, Michael Hultstrom, Celia M. T. Greenwood, Hugo Zeberg, Claudia Langenberg, Elin Thysell, Michael Pollak, Vincent Mooser, Vincenzo Forgetta, Daniel E. Kaufmann, J. Brent Richards
Summary: The study identified that increased levels of OAS1 protein are associated with reduced susceptibility and severity of COVID-19, providing evidence for a protective role of OAS1 in adverse outcomes. This suggests that pharmacological agents that increase OAS1 levels could be prioritized for drug development against COVID-19. The variant of the OAS1 gene associated with decreased risk of death in COVID-19 patients encodes an enzyme critical for the innate immune response to viral infections.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katherine A. Overmyer, Evgenia Shishkova, Ian J. Miller, Joseph Balnis, Matthew N. Bernstein, Trenton M. Peters-Clarke, Jesse G. Meyer, Qiuwen Quan, Laura K. Muehlbauer, Edna A. Trujillo, Yuchen He, Amit Chopra, Hau C. Chieng, Anupama Tiwari, Marc A. Judson, Brett Paulson, Dain R. Brademan, Yunyun Zhu, Lia R. Serrano, Vanessa Linke, Lisa A. Drake, Alejandro P. Adam, Bradford S. Schwartz, Harold A. Singer, Scott Swanson, Deane F. Mosher, Ron Stewart, Joshua J. Coon, Ariel Jaitovich
Summary: The study conducted RNA-seq and high-resolution mass spectrometry on blood samples from COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative patients, identifying molecular features associated with disease severity and outcomes, offering pathophysiological insights and therapeutic suggestions. The observed dysregulation of platelet function, blood coagulation, acute phase response, and endotheliopathy further illuminated the unique COVID-19 phenotype. The findings are presented through a web-based tool enabling interactive exploration and machine learning prediction of COVID-19 severity.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Esmaeil Mortaz, Gillina Bezemer, Shamila D. Alipoor, Mohammad Varahram, Sharon Mumby, Gert Folkerts, Johan Garssen, Ian M. Adcock
Summary: Nutrition and metabolic disorders play a crucial role in the severity and recovery of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with healthy diets and immune system having a significant impact. Therefore, focusing on diet and lifestyle during the pandemic is important in combating COVID-19.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Anthony Onoja, Nicola Picchiotti, Chiara Fallerini, Margherita Baldassarri, Francesca Fava, Francesca Colombo, Francesca Chiaromonte, Alessandra Renieri, Simone Furini, Francesco Raimondi
Summary: A multifaceted computational strategy identified 16 genetic variants contributing to increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection from a Whole Exome Sequencing dataset of an Italian patient cohort. These variants, along with age, gender, and specific diseases, can predict COVID-19 severity with high accuracy. The study also revealed immune and inflammatory processes related to viral infection response, as well as other cross-talking signaling pathways, providing new opportunities for treatment and patient stratification.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Anna L. Tierney, Wajd Mohammed Alali, Thomas Scott, Karen S. Rees-Unwin, Simon J. Clark, Richard D. Unwin
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Dysregulation of the complement cascade, specifically elevations in FHR proteins, may predict disease severity in COVID-19 patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Yunus Kuijpers, Xiaojing Chu, Martin Jaeger, Simone J. C. F. M. Moorlag, Valerie A. C. M. Koeken, Bowen Zhang, Aline de Nooijer, Inge Grondman, Manoj Kumar Gupta, Nico Janssen, Vera P. Mourits, L. Charlotte J. de Bree, Quirijn de Mast, Frank L. van de Veerdonk, Leo A. B. Joosten, Yang Li, Mihai G. Netea, Cheng-Jian Xu
Summary: Recent genome-wide association studies have identified genetic loci associated with severe COVID-19. This study explores the physiological significance of these genetic variants using clinical, immunological, and multi-omics data. The findings suggest that genetically determined innate immune responses, defective cytokine production, and ABO blood groups play a role in severe COVID-19 susceptibility. These insights provide potential targets for prevention and therapy.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Eman Alefishat, Mira Mousa, Mohammed Albreiki, Herbert F. Jelinek, Zainab Al Halwachi, Mariam Khalili, Fathimathuz Waasia, Maimunah Uddin, Nawal Al Kaabi, Bassam Mahboub, Mohammad T. Albataineh, Guan K. Tay, Habiba S. Alsafar
Summary: This study investigated the association between cytokine genetic variants, cytokine serum levels/profiles, and disease severity in critically and noncritically ill COVID-19 patients. IL-6 and CXCL-16 were found to potentially be used as biomarkers for monitoring disease progression of COVID-19 patients.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Ping Li, Yuehua Ke, Wenlong Shen, Shu Shi, Yahao Wang, Kailin Lin, Xinjie Guo, Changjun Wang, Yan Zhang, Zhihu Zhao
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread morbidity and mortality, and genetic factors have been implicated in the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19. However, there is a lack of research on associated genes in regulatory regions. This study identified 49 variants associated with COVID-19 susceptibility or severity, as well as 67 new regulatory variants. These findings provide important insights into the genetic basis of COVID-19 and may contribute to the development of treatments.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Maryam B. Khadzhieva, Alesya S. Gracheva, Olesya B. Belopolskaya, Dmitry S. Kolobkov, Darya A. Kashatnikova, Ivan V. Redkin, Artem N. Kuzovlev, Andrey V. Grechko, Lyubov E. Salnikova
Summary: Rare functional variants may contribute to COVID-19 severity by accumulating weak effects throughout the exome. The omnigenic model suggests that association signals spread across the genome through gene regulatory networks. In this study, whole-exome sequencing revealed an excess of rare, high-impact variants in severe COVID-19 patients, particularly in genes associated with immune and respiratory diseases.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samira Asgari, Lionel A. Pousaz
Summary: An individual's genetics play a role in their susceptibility to infectious diseases and the severity of symptoms. A recent international study has identified specific regions of the human genome that can impact the risk of severe COVID-19.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Janie F. Shelton, Anjali J. Shastri, Chelsea Ye, Catherine H. Weldon, Teresa Filshtein-Sonmez, Daniella Coker, Antony Symons, Jorge Esparza-Gordillo, Stella Aslibekyan, Adam Auton
Summary: A study of over one million 23andMe research participants identified genetic and nongenetic associations with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. The research found a strong association between blood type, a gene-rich locus on chromosome 3p21.31, and COVID-19 diagnosis and outcome severity.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Shiqi Lin, Xingjian Gao, Frauke Degenhardt, Yu Qian, Tianzi Liu, Xavier Farre Ramon, Syed Sibte Hadi, Manuel Romero-Gomez, Javier Fernandez, Agustin Albillos, Maria Buti Ferret, Luis Bujanda, Antonio Julia, Rafael de Cid, Rosanna Asselta, Andre Franke, Fan Liu
Summary: This study conducted a genome-wide epistasis study of COVID-19 severity and identified three significant interactions between different genes. The most significant interaction was found between rs9792388 upstream of PDGFRL and rs3025892 downstream of SNAP25, indicating a possible molecular mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 affects the nervous system.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Respiratory System
Julia Beimdiek, Sabina Janciauskiene, Sabine Wrenger, Sonja Volland, Adriana Rozy, Jan Fuge, Beata Olejnicka, Isabell Pink, Thomas Illig, Alexander Popov, Joanna Chorostowska, Falk F. R. Buettner, Tobias Welte
Summary: The changes in specific plasma protein levels and N-glycosylation in COVID-19 patients highlight the complexity of the inflammatory process and warrant further investigation.
RESPIRATORY RESEARCH
(2022)
