Host genetics and the profile of COVID-19 in indigenous people from the Brazilian Amazon: A pilot study with variants of the ACE1, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes

• Published in: Infection, genetics and evolution genetics and evolution, 2024-03, Vol.118, p.105564-105564, Article 105564
• Main Authors: Putira Sacuena, Eliene Rodrigues, Lima, Carlos Neandro Cordeiro, Abreu, Isabella Nogueira, da Silva, Lucas Matheus Cavalcante, Belleza, Lilian Karen Goes, Lemes, Renan Barbosa, de Araújo, Gilderlânio Santana, da Silva, Hilton Pereira, Vallinoto, Antônio Carlos Rosário, Guerreiro, João Farias
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ACE1; ACE2; COVID-19; Indigenous peoples; SARS-CoV-2; TMPRSS2
• ISSN: 1567-1348; 1567-7257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105564

This pilot study aimed to investigate genetic factors that may have contributed to the milder clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in Brazilian indigenous populations. 263 Indigenous from the Araweté, Kararaô, Parakanã, Xikrin do Bacajá, Kayapó and Munduruku peoples were analyzed, 55.2% women, ages ranging from 10 to 95 years (average 49.5 ± 20.7). Variants in genes involved in the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cell (ACE1 rs1799752 I/D, ACE2 rs2285666 C/T, ACE2 rs73635825 A/G and TMPRSS2 rs123297605 C/T), were genotyped in indigenous peoples from the Brazilian Amazon, treated during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic between 2020 and 2021. The distribution of genotypes did not show any association with the presence or absence of IgG antibodies. Additionally, the influence of genetic variations on the severity of the disease was not examined extensively because a significant number of indigenous individuals experienced the disease with either mild symptoms or no symptoms. It is worth noting that the frequencies of risk alleles were found to be lower in Indigenous populations compared to both continental populations and Brazilians. Indigenous Brazilian Amazon people exhibited an ethnic-specific genetic profile that may be associated with a milder disease, which could explain the unexpected response they demonstrated to COVID-19, being less impacted than Brazilians. •The heterogeneity of clinical manifestations of COVID-19 between populations can be partially explained by genetic factors.•ACE1, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes participate in cellular invasion by the virus and may influence the severity of COVID-19.•Epidemiological data show that mortality from COVID-19 was lower among indigenous peoples than among Brazilians in general.•The low frequencies of risk variants in indigenous peoples may have contributed to less severity of COVID-19 among them.•Indigenous peoples are underrepresented in genomic studies and must be included to benefit from genomic medicine.