Study of frequency and inheritance model of ACE1 I/D and ACE2 rs2285666 polymorphisms in COVID‐19 patients with varying severity of lung involvement and its effect on serum cytokines levels

Abstract

The angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) has been shown to play a role as a receptor for the COVID‐19 virus. This virus usually gets into cells and infects them by attaching to their glycoprotein receptors, which are found on the ACE2 receptor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and inheritance of ACE1 I/D and ACE2 rs2285666 polymorphisms in COVID‐19 patients with varying severity of lung involvement and its effect on serum cytokines levels of interleukin (IL)‐1 and IL‐6 and laboratory parameters. One hundred eighty‐five COVID‐19 patients were grouped according to the severity of lung involvement. (I/D) polymorphism of the ACE1 gene and rs2285666 polymorphism of the ACE2 gene were determined by single specific primer‐polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length reaction‐polymerase chain reaction methods, respectively. Serum levels of IL‐1 and IL‐6 were also measured by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay technique. No statistically significant association of ACE2 rs2285666 polymorphism genotypes and ACE1 I/D with the severity of lung involvement was noted. However, there was a statistically significant association between I/D ACE1 polymorphism genotypes and IL‐6, white blood cells (WBC), and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) levels. Also, there was no statistically significant association between rs2285666 polymorphism genotypes and patients' blood oxygen saturation level, IL‐6, IL‐1β, lactate dehydrogenase activity, WBC count, and NLR. In patients with COVID‐19, the rs2285666 polymorphism of the ACE2 gene and the I/D polymorphism of the ACE1 gene were not significantly associated with the severity of COVID‐19 disease and serum IL‐6 and IL‐1 cytokine levels.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE-2) with Interferon-Induced Transmembrane Protein-3 (IFITM-3) Genetic Variants and Interleukin-6 as Severity and Risk Predictors among COVID-19 Egyptian Population

“…Interestingly, we observed higher serum IL-6 levels among patients harbouring the CT variant compared to the wild CC type of rs2285666, as provided in the supplementary files ( Table S4 ). However, Beyranvand et al did not find any correlation between IL-6 levels and SNP polymorphisms of the two target receptors [ 48 , 49 ].…”

Polymorphisms within the SARS-CoV-2 Human Receptor Genes Associate with Variable Disease Outcomes across Ethnicities

“…Several studies have investigated the association of rs2285666 (ACE2) and rs12329760 (TMPRSS2) with COVID-19 severity [ 35 , 36 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Interestingly, these studies have either confirmed [ 13 , 36 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ] or contradicted [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] the association between rs2285666 and/or rs12329760 with COVID-19 severity.…”