Abstract
Furin is a protease that plays a key role in the infection cycle of SARS-CoV-2 by cleaving the viral proteins during the virus particle assembly. In addition, Furin regulates several physiological processes related to cardio-metabolic traits. DNA variants in the FURIN gene are candidates to regulate the risk of developing these traits as well as the susceptibility to severe COVID-19. We genotyped two functional FURIN variants (rs6224/rs4702) in 428 COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit. The association with death (N = 106) and hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidaemia was statistically evaluated. The risk of death was associated with age, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. The two FURIN alleles linked to higher expression (rs6224 T and rs4702 A) were significantly increased in the death cases (odds ratio= 1.40 and 1.43). Homozygosis for the two high expression genotypes (rs6224 TT and rs4702 AA) and for the T-A haplotype was associated with an increased risk of hypercholesterolemia. In the multiple logistic regression both, hypercholesterolemia and the TT + AA genotype were significantly associated with death. In conclusion, besides its association with hypercholesterolemia, FURIN variants might be independent risk factors for the risk of death among COVID-19 patients.
Keywords: COVID-19; FURIN; SARS-CoV-2; gene polymorphism; hypercholesterolemia.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, furin, gene polymorphism, hypercholesterolemia., 【초록키워드】 intensive care, severe COVID-19, furin, susceptibility, variant, Infection, intensive care unit, risk, Viral proteins, diabetes, protease, virus, hypertension, Genotype, death, Logistic regression, age, expression, COVID-19 patients, Haplotype, association, regulate, hypercholesterolemia, Odds ratio, COVID-19 patient, physiological, infection cycle, death case, risk of death, Candidates, Viral protein, increased risk, independent risk factors, traits, candidate, allele, independent risk factor, multiple logistic regression, hyperlipidaemia, DNA variants, FURIN gene, Homozygosis, significantly increased, significantly, addition, evaluated, functional, genotyped, statistically, DNA variant, cleaving, 【제목키워드】 variant, death, marker,