SARS-CoV-2 has become a global threat to public health. Infected individuals can be asymptomatic or develop mild to severe symptoms, including pneumonia, respiratory distress, and death. This wide spectrum of clinical presentations of SARS-CoV-2 infection is believed in part due to the polymorphisms of key genetic factors in the population. In this study, we report that the interferon-induced antiviral factor IFITM3 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection by preventing SARS-CoV-2 spike-protein-mediated virus entry and cell-to-cell fusion. Analysis of a Chinese COVID-19 patient cohort demonstrates that the rs12252 CC genotype of IFITM3 is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in the studied cohort. These data suggest that individuals carrying the rs12252 C allele in the IFITM3 gene may be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection and thus may benefit from early medical intervention.
Keyphrases
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- sars cov
- coronavirus disease
- public health
- single cell
- healthcare
- cell therapy
- genome wide
- randomized controlled trial
- early onset
- intensive care unit
- drug induced
- case report
- amino acid
- deep learning
- immune response
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- diabetic rats
- data analysis
- community acquired pneumonia
- genome wide identification