The researchers report this in the journal “PLOS Genetics“. In their study, the scientists led by Alish Palmos from King’s College London and Vincent Millischer from the Medical University of Vienna used a method called “Mendelian randomization” to analyze more than 3,000 proteins from the blood. This allows using large genetic data sets establish causal relationships between genetic risk factors and health outcomes.
Happy to see our new paper published in @PLOSGenetics where we studied the causal relationship between >3,000 blood proteins and COVID-19 outcomes. Tweetorial by @alishpalmos. Great collaboration @topherhuebel,@psychgenomics, @psychvienna,@MedUni_Vienna,@SGDPCentreKCL, @covidcns https://t.co/ACeg2QU7Gv
— Vincent Millischer (@vmillischer) March 4, 2022
This is possible “because genetic variants inherited from the parents are randomly assigned to the child at conception, similar to a randomized controlled trial in which people are assigned to groups,” Millischer explained in a broadcast. In the study, the scientists defined the groups by their genetic predisposition to different levels of blood proteins. “This enables an assessment of the causal relationships between high blood protein levels and the severity of the Covid 19 disease,” says Millischer. At the same time, environmental influences can be ruled out.
Eight proteins protect against severe progression
Two Covid-19 severities were considered in the study: hospitalization on the one hand or the need for ventilation or death on the other. Using data from a series of genome-wide association studies, the researchers found five proteins (GCNT4, CD207, RAB14, C1GALT1C1, and ABO) that were causally associated with an increased risk of hospitalization, ventilation, and death, one protein (FAAH2) was associated only associated with a higher risk of hospitalization. According to the team, these differences indicate that different mechanisms are at work in different disease states.
On the other hand, they identified eight proteins that causally protected against a severe course: Higher levels of the proteins SELL, SELE and PECAM-1 reduced the risk of hospitalization or ventilation or death, higher levels of the proteins LCTL, SFTPD, KEL and ATP2A3 was only associated with a lower risk of hospitalization and higher levels of ICAM-1 with lower risk of ventilation or death.
One of the proteins (ABO) that has been found to be causally linked to the risk of severe Covid-19 determines blood type. Therefore, the scientists assume that the blood groups play a decisive role in whether people develop severe forms of the disease.
Blood group A common in corona positives
However, they emphasize that their study does not establish a direct connection between a specific blood group and the risk of a severe course of Covid 19. However, they refer to earlier research results, according to which the proportion of people with blood group A is higher in corona-positive people. This blood group, which is the most common in Austria (41 percent), is therefore a candidate for follow-up studies.
According to the researchers, the 14 proteins identified in the study represent potentially important starting points for further research in order to better understand the mechanisms behind the disease. The proteins would also indicate a number of possible drug targets that could be used to treat severe Covid-19 courses.
(Those: APA)
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