At least three rare genetic mutations are at the origin of asymptomatic cases of Covid-19.
They act by weakening the genes involved in the activation processes of the immune system and their discovery, which took place in Italy, could pave the way for new diagnostic techniques and new therapies.
Published in the journal Genetics in Medicine, the result is due to the Ceinge-Biotechnology group of Naples directed by Mario Capasso and Achille Iolascon, both professors of Medical Genetics at the Federico II University of Naples.
The data is now available online to all researchers around the world.
The research, with the collaboration of Pellegrino Cerino, of the Zooprophylactic Institute of Portici, and Massimo Zollo, coordinator of the Covid del Ceinge task force and professor of Genetics at Federico II, was based on the analysis of DNA samples of about 800 individuals. remained asymptomatic after SarsCoV2 infection, despite having risk factors such as older age.
"All the genes known so far have been analyzed using the latest generation sequencers and thus obtaining an enormous amount of genetic data", notes Capasso.
"Advanced bioinformatics analysis strategies,
There are three genes involved in asymptomatic infections, they are called Masp1, Colec10 and Colec11 and belong to the lectin family of proteins, the protein involved in the cell recognition process.
"Today it is widely demonstrated that the excessive immune response to SarsCoV2 infection and the subsequent hyper-activation of pro-inflammatory and pro-coagulation processes are the main cause of damage to organs such as lungs, heart, kidney", observes Capasso, and "our research shows that mutations in the human genome that attenuate this excessive immune reaction can predispose to infection without severe symptoms."
Considering the possible applications of the discovery, the authors of the research decided to make the data freely accessible: “we have made available, in an online database, all the genetic data obtained, which other scholars can freely consult to develop new research,” says Iolascon.
“We can use these mutations - he continues - to identify individuals who are predisposed to developing less severe or asymptomatic forms of Covid-19 disease.
Furthermore, the serum levels of the three identified genes could be used as prognostic markers of severe disease.
Finally, today we know something more about the biological basis of this disease and therefore - he concludes - we have something to work on to develop new pharmacological treatments ".
