RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A genetic variant protective against severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neandertals
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.10.05.327197
DO 10.1101/2020.10.05.327197
A1 Hugo Zeberg
A1 Svante Pääbo
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/10/09/2020.10.05.327197.abstract
AB It was recently shown that the major genetic risk factor associated with becoming severely ill with COVID-19 when infected by SARS-CoV-2 is inherited from Neandertals. Thanks to new genetic association studies additional risk factors are now being discovered. Using data from a recent genome-wide associations from the Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care (GenOMICC) consortium, we show that a haplotype at a region associated with requiring intensive care is inherited from Neandertals. It encodes proteins that activate enzymes that are important during infections with RNA viruses. As compared to the previously described Neandertal risk haplotype, this Neandertal haplotype is protective against severe COVID-19, is of more moderate effect, and is found at substantial frequencies in all regions of the world outside Africa.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.