Association of polymorphisms in TLR3 and TLR7 genes with susceptibility to COVID-19 among Iranian population: a retrospective case-control study

Masoud Parsania; Seyed Mahmood  Seyed Khorrami; Mandana Hasanzad; Negar Parsania; Sina Nagozir; Narges Mokhtari; Hossein Mehrabi Habibabadi; Azam Ghaziasadi; Saber Soltani; Ali Jafarpour; Reza Pakzad; Seyed Mohammad  Jazayeri

doi:10.18502/ijm.v16i1.14880

Masoud Parsania Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Seyed Mahmood Seyed Khorrami Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Mandana Hasanzad Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Negar Parsania Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Sina Nagozir Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Narges Mokhtari Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Hossein Mehrabi Habibabadi Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Azam Ghaziasadi Research Center for Clinical Virology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Saber Soltani Research Center for Clinical Virology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Ali Jafarpour Amir-al-Momenin Medical and Educational Center, Gerash University of Medical Sciences, Gerash, Iran
Reza Pakzad Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
Seyed Mohammad Jazayeri Research Center for Clinical Virology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v16i1.14880

Keywords: TLR3; TLR7; Genetic polymorphism; COVID-19; Susceptibility

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Host genetic changes like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are one of the main fac- tors influencing susceptibility to viral infectious diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between the host SNP of Toll-Like Receptor3 (TLR3) and Toll-Like Receptor7 (TLR7) genes involved in the immune system and susceptibil- ity to COVID-19 in a sample of the Iranian population.

Materials and Methods: This retrospective case-control study evaluated 244 hospitalized COVID-19 patients as the case group and 156 suspected COVID-19 patients with mild signs as the control group. The genomic DNA of patients was gen- otyped for TLR7 (rs179008 and rs179009) and TLR3 (rs3775291 and rs3775296) SNPs using the polymerase chain reac- tion-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.

Results: A significant association between rs179008 SNP in the TLR7 gene and the susceptibility of COVID-19 was found between case and control groups. The AT genotype (Heterozygous) of TLR7 rs179008 A>T polymorphism showed a sig- nificant association with a 2.261-fold increased odds of COVID-19 (P=0.003; adjusted OR: 2.261; 99% CI: 1.117-4.575). In addition, a significant association between TC genotype of TLR7 rs179009 T>C polymorphism and increased odds of COVID-19 (P< 0.0001; adjusted OR: 6.818; 99% CI: 3.149-14.134) were determined. The polymorphism frequency of TLR3 rs3775291 and rs3775296 genotypes were not significantly different between the case and control groups (P> 0.004167).

Conclusion: SNPs in TLR7 rs179008 and rs179009 genotypes are considered host genetic factors that could be influenced individual susceptibility to COVID-19. The SNPs in TLR3 (rs3775296 and rs3775291) showed no significant association with COVID-19 in Iranian population.