rs8259T>A Variant Confers Susceptibility to COVID-19 Infection within the Mexican Population.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 range from mild flu-like symptoms to severe respiratory failure. Nowadays, extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN), also known as cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147) or BASIGIN, has been studied as enabling viral entry and replication within host cells. However, the impact of the rs8259T>A single nucleotide variant (SNV) on SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility remains poorly investigated.

Objective: To investigate the impact of rs8259T>A on the gene in individuals from Mexico with COVID-19 disease.

Methods: We genotyped the rs8359T>A SNV in 195 patients with COVID-19 and 185 healthy controls from Mexico. In addition, we also measured the expression levels of CD147 and TNF mRNA and miR-492 from whole blood of patients with COVID-19 through RT-q-PCR.

Results: We observed a significant association between the rs8259T>A SNV and susceptibility to COVID-19: T vs. A; OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.02-1.81; = 0.037; and TT vs. AA; OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.01-3.09; = 0.046. On the other hand, we did not find differences in CD147, TNF or miR-492 expression levels when considering the genotypes of the rs8259T>A SNV.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that the rs8259T>A variant is a risk factor for COVID-19.