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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Viral Immunology
Volume 15 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1422349
This article is part of the Research Topic Immunogenetics in times of COVID-19 pandemic View all 17 articles
Genetic Signatures of AKT1 Variants Associated with Worse COVID-19 Outcomes -A Multicentric Observational Study
Provisionally accepted- 1 Laboratory of Immunopharmacology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
- 2 Other, Salvador, Brazil
- 3 Instituto Couto Maia, Salvador, Brazil
- 4 State University of Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil
- 5 Professor Edgard Santos University Hospital, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- 6 Lauro Wanderley University Hospital, Federal University of Paraíba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
- 7 Department of Life Sciences, State University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
Introduction: The COVID-19, triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has varied clinical manifestations, ranging from mild cases to severe forms such as fatal pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Disease severity is influenced by an exacerbated immune response, characterized by high pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Inhibition of AKT can potentially suppress pathological inflammation, cytokine storm and platelet activation associated with COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to investigate the rs2494746 and rs1130214 variants in the AKT1 gene associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes. Methods: Peripheral blood samples and sociodemographic data from 508 individuals with COVID-19, measuring plasma cytokine concentrations using ELISA and genotyped the AKT1 variants. Results: The rs2494746-C allele was associated with severity, ICU admission, and death from COVID-19. The C allele at rs1130214 was linked to increased TNF and D-dimer levels. Moreover, both variants exhibited an increased cumulative risk of disease severity, ICU admission, and mortality caused by COVID-19. In the predictive analysis, the rs2494746 obtained an accuracy of 71%, suggesting a high probability of the test determining the severity of the disease. Discussion: Our findings contribute to understanding the influence of the AKT1 gene variants on the immunological damage in individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords: AKT1, COVID-19, severity, polymorphism, Immunogenetics
Received: 23 Apr 2024; Accepted: 18 Sep 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Almeida, Tosta, Pena, Silva, Goes, Silva, Cruz, Silva, Araújo, Rodrigues, Oliveira, Figueiredo, VAZ, Montaño-Castellón, Santana, Torres, Beltrao, Carneiro, Campos, BRITES, Fortuna, Figueiredo, Trindade, Ramos and Costa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ryan D. Costa, Laboratory of Immunopharmacology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
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