Prevalence of the protective OAS1 rs10774671-G allele against severe COVID-19 in Moroccans: implications for a North African Neanderthal connection.
Arch Virol
; 169(5): 109, 2024 Apr 25.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38658463
ABSTRACT
The clinical presentation of COVID-19 shows high variability among individuals, which is partly due to genetic factors. The OAS1/2/3 cluster has been found to be strongly associated with COVID-19 severity. We examined this locus in the Moroccan population for the occurrence of the critical variant rs10774671 and its respective haplotype blocks. The frequency of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the cluster of OAS immunity genes in 157 unrelated individuals of Moroccan origin was determined using an in-house exome database. OAS1 exon 6 of 71 SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals with asymptomatic/mild disease and 74 with moderate/severe disease was sequenced by the Sanger method. The genotypic, allelic, and haplotype frequencies of three SNPs were compared between these two groups. Finally, males in our COVID-19 series were genotyped for the Berber-specific marker E-M81. The prevalence of the OAS1 rs10774671-G allele in present-day Moroccans was found to be 40.4%, which is similar to that found in Europeans. However, it was found equally in both the Neanderthal GGG haplotype and the African GAC haplotype, with a frequency of 20% each. These two haplotypes, and hence the rs10774671-G allele, were significantly associated with protection against severe COVID-19 (p = 0.034, p = 0.041, and p = 0.008, respectively). Surprisingly, in men with the Berber-specific uniparental markers, the African haplotype was absent, while the prevalence of the Neanderthal haplotype was similar to that in Europeans. The protective rs10774671-G allele of OAS1 was found only in the Neanderthal haplotype in Berbers, the indigenous people of North Africa, suggesting that this region may have served as a stepping-stone for the passage of hominids to other continents.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
2',5'-Oligoadenilato Sintetasa
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Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple
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COVID-19
Límite:
Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Arch Virol
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Marruecos
Pais de publicación:
Austria