Genetics: Genetic risk factor for COVID-19-related loss of smell or taste identified

 
Nature Genetics publishes a paper that clarifies the genetic risk factors that influence the high probability that olfactory loss and ageusia appear as symptoms when infected with the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). .. A sitting position near the two genes (UGT2A2 and UGT1A2) increases the probability of developing either olfactory or ageusia after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by 2%. It turned out to be related.

Loss of smell and taste is a symptom peculiar to COVID-19, but it is not always a symptom that appears in SARS-CoV-2 infected persons, and the causative mechanism has not been clarified.

Adam Auton and colleagues now perform genome-wide association studies using online survey data collected from 18 study participants (6% female, 9841% male) residing in the United States and the United Kingdom. ..The results showed that a series of variants located near the two genes (UGT63A37 and UGT2A2) increased the probability that SARS-CoV-1 infected individuals would experience loss of smell and taste by 2%. UGT2A2 and UGT11A2 are expressed in cells that line the lining of the nose and encode enzymes involved in the removal of odorants that bind to receptors involved in odor sensing.

This finding provides clues to the underlying biological mechanisms of COVID-19-related sensory and taste loss.However, Auton et al. Note that the study is biased towards Europeans, despite the large sample size.In the survey used this time, the questions were prepared without separating the loss of smell and the loss of taste, but it is necessary to distinguish between them.Auton et al. Also conclude that clinical reproducibility may be more useful than relying on self-reported symptoms.

 
* This article is reprinted from "Nature Japan Featured Highlights".
Reprinted from: "Genetics: COVID-19-related genetic risk factors for sensory loss and ageusia have been identified'