Differential expression of COVID-19-related genes in European Americans and African Americans

Abstract

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected African American populations disproportionately in regards to both morbidity and mortality. A multitude of factors likely account for this discrepancy. Gene expression represents the interaction of genetics and environment. To elucidate whether levels of expression of genes implicated in COVID-19 vary in African Americans as compared to European Americans, we re-mine The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) RNA-Seq data. Multiple genes integral to infection, inflammation and immunity are differentially regulated across the two populations. Most notably, F8A2 and F8A3, which encode the HAP40 protein that mediates early endosome movement in Huntington’s Disease, are more highly expressed by up to 24-fold in African Americans. Such differences in gene expression can establish prognostic signatures and have critical implications for precision treatment of diseases such as COVID-19. We advocate routine inclusion of information such as postal code, education level, and profession (as a proxies for socioeconomic condition) and race in the metadata about each individual sampled for sequencing studies. This relatively simple change would enable large-scale data-driven approaches to dissect relationships among race, socio-economic factors, and disease.

Why COVID-19 is less frequent and severe in children: a narrative review

“…The variations within ACE-2 gene, the human leukocyte antigen locus, and the genes regulating Toll-like receptor and complement pathways seem to influence susceptibility and subsequently the severity of COVID-19 [98]. In addition to possible involvement of several other genes (e.g., ABO blood type and Mediterranean fever gene) [99], genetic variations in these gateways might be influenced by the societies geographically. Using a combinational analysis approach, Taylor and colleagues identified 68 protein-coding genes that were highly associated with severe COVID-19 [100].…”

Contrasting Narratives of Race and Fatness in Covid-19

“…TMPRSS2 activates the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and therefore facilitates virus entry to the body; the authors suggest that higher expression of TMPRSS2 in Black individuals contributes to the increased burden of Covid-19. Singh and Wurtele (2020) identify a subset of differentially expressed genes between African Americans and European Americans which are known to be implicated in infection, inflammation and immunity. It is important to note that gene expression is a function not only of DNA sequence, but also of environmental factors (through epigenetic processes), and the existence of differences in gene expression profiles in itself does not suggest racial genetic variation.…”