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Image source,fake images
After the outbreak of the new corona epidemic, people noticed that some people are more susceptible to the virus than others, and some infected people are more likely to develop symptoms than others, and there are significant differences in the severity of symptoms between different patients. However, until now, scientists still know, but do not know why, and they are still looking for the root cause of the phenomenon.
Gene is an entry point for research in this area. What fragments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are related to COVID-19? If this association can be found, does it mean that everyone’s resistance to a new coronary pneumonia is really determined by genetic genes?
By comparing all the genomes in the DNA sequence one by one, scientists hope to determine whether there is an association between a specific genetic change and a specific disease.
So far, two clues have been found that deserve continued monitoring: changes in the two pieces of DNA located on chromosome 9 and chromosome 3.
Witch Lander, Professor of Biology, University of Teesside, UKVikki rand) And biologicalprofessionPhD student Maria O’Hanlon (Mary O’Hanlon）I wrote an article on the academic website (The Conversation) to introduce these two interesting research directions.
Image source,Science Photo Library
Genetic genes dating back to Neanderthal caveman DNA may be a risk factor
1. Genetic risk
Chromosome 3 clues are relatively simple. A study of patients in Spain and Italy found that severe disease caused by the virus is associated with changes in a small region of chromosome 3; this small number of chromosomes is 3p21.31.
There is a gene in this region, SLC6A20, that carries genetic information that is an instruction to make a protein that can interact with a molecule called ACE2 that the virus uses to enter the cell.
Genetic information carried by other genes on this chromosome targets chemokine receptors, which are linked to inflammation.
Since ACE2 and inflammation are central factors in severe COVID-19, it may provide clues to explain why variation in this region on chromosome 3 is associated with severe COVID-19.
The chromosome variation that led to increased susceptibility to the new coronavirus may have been inherited from the ancient Neanderthal caveman ancestor.
So far, 3p21.31 is the only genetic region that is significantly associated with severe COVID-19. Therefore, genetic variation in this region can be considered a risk factor.
Image source,Reuters
2. Blood type and Covid-19
The segment of chromosome 9 is the ABO blood type system, which determines the blood type of each person.
This clue points to the relationship between blood type and susceptibility to the new corona, that is, are people of a certain blood type relatively less likely to be infected with the virus and less likely to cause serious illness or disease? death after infection? If the answer is yes, is it possible to further verify that the key to this association is that antibodies in the blood can prevent the virus from invading cells?
Some studies in the early stages of the European epidemic found that blood types O and AB may be associated with the new crown, and some studies believe that blood type has no effect on the consequences of viral infection.
With the spread of the epidemic, the increase in cases of infection and the expansion of the scale of research, a rule gradually emerged: people with blood type A are more likely to develop the disease than people with blood type blood O, and the latter are more likely to develop the disease. less likely to cause serious illness after being infected with the virus than people with other blood types.
However, these studies are not enough to gain confidence due to the small number of samples, and at best they provide one possible direction.
Later, a study of new cases of respiratory failure related to the coronavirus found that patients with type O blood are less likely to have respiratory failure than patients with other blood types, and patients with type A blood have 1.5 times more likely to have respiratory failure than patients. with other blood types. The sample for this study included 1,600 patients from Spain and Italy.
Then there was a published article that supported this research.
This document analyzes and evaluates 7 unrelated studies, with a sample of almost 3 million people, including 7,500 new coronary patients. The results of the evaluation found that the majority of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus were type A blood, while those with type O blood were less likely to be infected with the new coronavirus.
This result was later supported by a larger study in Canada; the latest study found that people with blood type O are about 12% less likely to be infected than people with other blood types, and they have a higher risk of serious illness or death than people. with other blood types. 13% less.
So the question is, is there a relationship between blood type and susceptibility to the new coronavirus?
According to study results after the SARS outbreak in 2002-2004, people with blood type O are less likely to be infected with the coronavirus, which is a proposed possibility. One explanation at the time was antibodies in blood type O can prevent the SARS virus from invading cells.
However, this hypothesis has not been verified.
What is certain now is that Covid-19, like SARS, is also a coronavirus.
Scientists hope that more samples, more data, and more research can provide more clues and find clearer context.
