RESUMEN
The host response to SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates significant interindividual variability. In addition to showing more disease in males, the elderly, and individuals with underlying comorbidities, SARS-CoV-2 can seemingly afflict healthy individuals with profound clinical complications. We hypothesize that, in addition to viral load and host antibody repertoire, host genetic variants influence vulnerability to infection. Here we apply human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based models and CRISPR engineering to explore the host genetics of SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrate that a single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs4702), common in the population and located in the 3' UTR of the protease FURIN, influences alveolar and neuron infection by SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Thus, we provide a proof-of-principle finding that common genetic variation can have an impact on viral infection and thus contribute to clinical heterogeneity in COVID-19. Ongoing genetic studies will help to identify high-risk individuals, predict clinical complications, and facilitate the discovery of drugs.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19/genética , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad/genética , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple/genética , Regiones no Traducidas 3'/genética , Adolescente , Adulto , Animales , COVID-19/virología , Línea Celular , Chlorocebus aethiops , Repeticiones Palindrómicas Cortas Agrupadas y Regularmente Espaciadas/genética , Femenino , Furina/genética , Interacciones Huésped-Patógeno/genética , Humanos , Células Madre Pluripotentes Inducidas/virología , Masculino , Neuronas/virología , Péptido Hidrolasas/genética , SARS-CoV-2/patogenicidad , Células VeroRESUMEN
The host response to SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates significant inter-individual variability. In addition to showing more disease in males, the elderly, and individuals with underlying comorbidities, SARS-CoV-2 can seemingly render healthy individuals with profound clinical complications. We hypothesize that, in addition to viral load and host antibody repertoire, host genetic variants also impact vulnerability to infection. Here we apply human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based models and CRISPR-engineering to explore the host genetics of SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrate that a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs4702), common in the population at large, and located in the 3'UTR of the protease FURIN, impacts alveolar and neuron infection by SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Thus, we provide a proof-of-principle finding that common genetic variation can impact viral infection, and thus contribute to clinical heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2. Ongoing genetic studies will help to better identify high-risk individuals, predict clinical complications, and facilitate the discovery of drugs that might treat disease.