Why Some People Never Get Covid: The Genetics Behind Natural Resistance

Recent research has uncovered why some people never seem to get COVID-19. The NIH write-up summarizes findings that certain genetic variants let the immune system clear SARS-CoV-2 before it takes hold. 

In particular, work reported in Nature identifies the HLA-B*15:01 allele as strongly associated with asymptomatic infection—carriers appear to mount a rapid T-cell response that prevents illness. Researchers are also investigating CCR5-like and other resistance pathways that could limit viral entry or speed early clearance. 

Together, these discoveries show that natural genetic protection is real, which helps explain wide differences in infection outcomes and points to new routes for prevention and therapy.

Genes may cause severe COVID 19

Even though COVID-19 is not a major issue to most people in 2024, researchers are still interested in learning why it had certain affects. The article discusses how researching about covid-19 is important since we get a better understanding of how the immune system reacts when it comes into contact with a pathogen. Especially, the research can be useful if another pandemic occurs in the future and we can be better equipped with knowledge on how to combat it.

The TLR7 gene is responsible for determining a person's reaction to the virus. Those who had a mutation in the gene causing it to be nonfunctional were more severely affected by the virus. Additionally, this gene is only found on the X chromosome which posed further questions since women have two and men only have one. Thus, women could have two chances at a functioning TLR7 gene but researchers still found that women frequently had the mutated TLR7 gene. Some research suggested that the "broken" TLR7 gene could influence function in the "healthy" copy.

This makes sense why many people had different reactions to covid. It makes me wonder if this gene is also why some people felt fine after the first vaccine but worse after the second and vice versa. I also wonder if this gene had any role in if someone was asymptomatic or not. Definitely an interesting study that brings about a lot of other questions.

Genetic Risk Factor Found for COVID-19 Smell and Taste Loss

 

According to NBC News, the journal Natural Genetics published a study identifying a genetic risk factor associated with the loss of smell after being infected with COVID-19. Scientists believe that sensory loss comes from damaged infected cells in the olfactory epithelium. The Verywell Health, explains that olfactory epithelium is a thin-cellular tissue that runs along the roof of the nasal cavity and is involved in smell. According to the study, a genetic locus near two olfactory genes is associated with the loss of smell and taste that was caused by COVID-19. Researchers conducted a study where a group of individuals who self-reported receiving a positive Covid test, reported if they experienced loss of smell or taste as a symptom. Researchers compared genetic differences between the individuals who lost their sense of smell and those who didn't. They found a region of the genome associated with this split that's situated near two genes, UGT2A1 and UGT2A2. These genes are expressed within the tissue that is found in the nose which are involved in smell. However, it is still unclear how these genes are involved in the process. "To use these findings, scientists need to learn more about how these genes are expressed and what their functions are in olfactory signaling, Turner said"(Sloat 1). 

I found this article interesting as this study explains how two genes may be associated with the loss of smell. This study can be further interpreted to find the answer as to how these genes are involved in the process and it eventually could find future treatments. Last year I was infected with COVID-19 and I experienced a loss of smell after being infected. Although I can now smell, I always wondered why me? I will keep track of this study and can't wait to see any new findings. 

Sources:

Genetic risk factor found for Covid-19 smell and taste loss, researchers say (nbcnews.com)

https://www.verywellhealth.com/olfactory-epithelium-anatomy-5105135

Picture: https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.vuc9we0XjpjLHliDfIuy-AHaEK?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain

Coronavirus formation successfully modeled

 Roya Zandi, a professor of physics at UCR, has successfully modeled the formation of SARS-CoV-2, along with her former student, Siyu Li. They have found coronavirus to have one of the largest genomes of viruses that are formed from RNA as their genetic material. Covid-19 is made up of four structural proteins; Envelope, Membrane, Nucleocapsid, and Spike. All but spike form the outermost layer of the virus, which helps the virus enter hosts. 

The results of this study introduce information that could assist with the design of anti-virus drugs to fight SARS-CoV-2 while it is still in the assembly stage. 

Relevant Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221003200156.htm 

Study Finds Human DNA Variants that Relate to Severe COVID-19 Cases

After analyzing human DNA variants related to severe COVID-19 cases are also related to other serious medical conditions. This includes blood clots and altered autoimmune responses. The data used for this study came from a program by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, which has one of the largest biobanks in the world. Examining a variety of DNA from them is ideal as the DNA could be exploited by Covid-19. After obtaining this data, the researchers began to look into whether any other health conditions were more likely to be associated with the variants associated with more severe Covid-19. 

In order for this to be done, over 1,500 phenotypes had to be examined. This means that the identifiable traits of disease were found using an electronic health record. According to one of the researchers, one of the things that stood out to them was the high number of immune mediated conditions that shared “genetic architecture” with severe COVID-19. These variants were associated with Covid-19 in the ABO locus. The patients carrying these variants were more likely to have conditions related to blood clots. However, some of the variants were associated with not some having some of these autoimmune conditions

This article gave me insight on how genetic variants could relate to the severity of Covid-19, which is something that I hadn’t thought about prior to reading this article about this study at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings within this study challenges some of the assumptions that are made about Covid-19. The research also shines a light on the risks that people with certain DNA are predisposed to. Linking genetic variations with data provided by biobanks is imperative and extremely valuable both in current and future crises. This is an article that shares the same topic.

Do Gene Mutations Explain COVID-19 Cases in the Young?

Article: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-03-30/do-gene-mutations-explain-covid-19-cases-in-the-young

Related Article: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-genetic-mutations-predispose-individuals-severe.html

    COVID-19 has been infecting and killing millions all over the world. What seems to be the case is that the most vulnerable population is the elderly and those with predisposed diseases that have the greatest risk. Besides this vulnerable population there is a small percent of people that are young and healthy that contract COVID-19 and pass away. What scientists are thinking, is that there may be some type of genetic mutation that causes these healthy young people to fall severly ill. Scientists are examining the DNA of 500 patients that are severly ill in the ICU, with no underlying health conditions. This is too early to project any results just yet. 

Alzheimers gene linked to Corona virus

The APOE4 gene variant has been known for creating a greater risk for a person to develop Alzheimer's disease. This same gene variant is also linked to the novel Covid-19. Based on a study published by "The journals of Gerontology", it has been determined than an individual who carries two copies of the gene variant are twice as likely to develop a severe case of the covid-19. The APOE4 gene variant also affects cholesterol transport and inflammation. 383,000 individuals of European background were included in the study and more than 9,000 carried 2 copies of this gene variant. The list of people with two copies of the gene variant and those that suffered from covid-19 were cross referenced. The result showed that the APOE4 homozygous genotype was linked to a doubled risk of his severe disease as opposed to those individuals who had 2 copies of another gene variant known as E3

Source 1:    https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/alzheimers-gene-linked-to-higher-risk-of-severe-covid-19-67570

Source 2: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/coronavirus-covid-19

Blood Type, Genetics Could Impact Odds for Severe COVID-19

 

    Coronavirus also known as Covid-19 started a world wide pandemic in the beginning of January. Since this pandemic started many studies have been put into place all over the world to discover new facts about the virus such as how it can spread and long lasting effects after someone has had the virus.

    Other studies have also been done such as this one captured on usnews.com stating, “ A person's genes and blood type may help determine their odds for a nastier form of COVID-19, should they get infected with the new coronavirus, a new genetics study finds”. Through doing tests and collecting data they have established that people with certain blood types may be more susceptible to getting covid-19 or may be effected more than others with different blood types. Specifically people with blood type A have a greater chance of getting Covid-19, while people with type O have a lower risk for a more mature form of covid-19.


Article: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-06-18/blood-type-genetics-could-impact-odds-for-severe-covid-19-study



Related Article: https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-frequently-asked-questions#:~:text=Coronavirus%20disease%202019%20(COVID,been%20seen%20in%20humans.

No, the coronavirus wasn't made in a lab. A genetic analysis shows it's from nature.

As the pandemic of COVID-19 shocked the world, many global misinformation theories were created. Many of these conspiracies behaved similarly as viruses by spreading rapidly online just like COVID did offline. One of these conspiracies was the COVID-19 was deliberately created in a laboratory. A new study suggested that COVID-19 was caused by a natural behavior and not made in a lab. A group of researchers from Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla California decided to analyze further the situation after the genetic makeup was revealed. It was clear to them right away that the virus wasn't human-made as SARS-CoV-2 was not derived from any previously used virus backbone, which you would need in order to engineer new viruses. Although some stretches of the virus genetic material were similar to HIV, this similarity is something that stems from those viruses sharing a common ancestor as evolution suggest. Another evidence found suggested that SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses are commonly found in nature including in animals such as bats and pangolins showing how easy they swap genes. An evidence to this is the amino acid of ACE2, which is found in COVID-19 as well as pangolins and causes the tight binding spike. This spike binding characteristic allows COVID-19 to stick to human cells easily and become more contagious. In conclusion, the evidence presented suggest that COVID-19 was most likely naturally occurring and not man made.
Link to article: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-not-human-made-lab-genetic-analysis-nature

Second link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7227161/

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SARS-CoV-2 May Trigger Genetic Alterations in Platelets

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a major pandemic occurring at this very moment, affecting millions of people around the world. Its presence is terrifying enough, but recently, it was reported that blood-clotting cells in patients have been genetically altered due to the virus. Researchers at the University of Utah reported that these platelets are becoming “hyperactive,” ultimately leading to increased risk of life-threatening blood clots, such as a heart attack or stroke. Specific genetic processes seem to be affected, but it is still relatively unknown as to which processes cause these platelet changes. While researchers nationwide are currently studying whom this may affect most as well as how it could be prevented, clinical trials are either freshly underway or in the works.

As for what this means for us right now, we all must continue wearing masks, social distancing, and self-quarantining if we feel symptomatic. Until more research is conducted and a potential vaccine or cure is found for COVID-19, it is crucial to be aware of the serious health issues that remain even after the patient is cured.


Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200630125129.htm

Related Article: https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/06/11/searching-for-ways-to-prevent-life-threatening-blood-clots-in-covid-19/