August 23, 2022
Keio University
Tokyo Medical and Dental University
Osaka University
The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo
Kyoto University
To combat the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, a collaborative research group of experts from different fields, the "Japan COVID-19 Task Force," was launched in May 2020. A research group led by Associate Professor Qingbo Wang of Osaka University has now conducted a comprehensive analysis of 465 COVID-19 patients (including 359 with severe/critical illness) to investigate the relationship between gene expression in their blood cells and individual differences in their human genome sequences.
The analysis fine-mapped 1,169 human genomic variants as causal variants that regulate gene expression. These causal variants were found to be independent of genetic populations and COVID-19 infection status, showing a high concordance rate with previous studies in Europe and the United States. Additionally, an analysis of the interaction between COVID-19 severity and gene expression regulation by genomic variants (ieQTL analysis) revealed the existence of genes (e.g., CLEC4C ) whose patterns of gene expression change according to severity differ depending on the presence or absence of specific human genomic variants. Furthermore, it was found that this mechanism can be explained by cell-type-specific gene expression in several cell types. These results are expected to lead to further insights into understanding susceptibility to infection in terms of differences in cell-type-specific regulatory mechanisms of particular genes.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of the international scientific journal Nature Communications on August 22, 2022 (UK time). The Japan COVID-19 Task Force will continue its activities as a public instrument for society, working together with patients fighting the novel coronavirus and healthcare workers on the front lines to overcome COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics.
For the full press release, please see below.