HLA alleles associated with susceptibility and severity of the COVID-19 in Vietnamese

Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai; Vu Phuong Nhung; Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam; Tran Thi Bich Ngoc; Ma Thi Huyen Thuong; Ha Van Dai; Nguyen Thuy Duong; Nong Van Hai; Nguyen Dang Ton; Pham Ngoc Thach; Nguyen Hai Ha

doi:10.1016/j.humimm.2024.110796

HLA alleles associated with susceptibility and severity of the COVID-19 in Vietnamese

Hum Immunol. 2024 Apr 4:110796. doi: 10.1016/j.humimm.2024.110796. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Kim Chung, Dong Anh, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam; Department of Biochemistry, Hanoi Medical University, 1 Ton That Tung, Dong Da, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam.
² Institute of Genome Research, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam.
³ Department of Biochemistry, Hanoi Medical University, 1 Ton That Tung, Dong Da, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam.
⁴ National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Kim Chung, Dong Anh, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam.
⁵ Institute of Genome Research, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam; Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi 100000, Viet Nam.
⁶ Institute of Genome Research, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam; Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi 100000, Viet Nam. Electronic address: nguyenhaiha@igr.ac.vn.

PMID: 38580537
DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2024.110796

Abstract

The diversity of clinical manifestations in COVID-19 has been observed not only among individuals but also among various populations in globally. HLA molecules play a central role in physiology, protective immunity, and deleterious, disease-related autoimmune reactivity or overreaction. This study exploited the association between HLA frequencies and SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and disease severity among the Vietnamese cohort (159 patients and 52 controls). A significant difference in frequency of both HLA class I and II in mild, moderate, and severe/fatal COVID-19 patients and negative exposure individuals - the controls were observed. Regarding SARS-CoV-2 sensitivity, HLA-A*03:01, 30:01, HLA-DQA1*01:02, DRB1*15:01, and DRB5*02:02 presented higher frequency in the control group compared with infected patients but DRB1 09:01 frequency was higher in infected patients. Regarding COVID-19 severity, HLA-F*01:01, 01:03 and DPA1*01:03 and 02:01, DPB1*04:01, DQA1*01:02, and DQB1*05:02 alleles were detected with higher frequency in severe patients but DOB*01:01, DRB1*05:01 and 09:01 had a significantly higher frequency in the mild group than remaining groups. Surprisingly, HLA-DQA1*01:02 and DRB1*09:01 alleles were identified with both inversely potential roles in protective function and severe risk. The obtained data herein will contribute to explore on the role of host genetic background in the pathology of COVID-19 disease.

Keywords: COVID-19; HLA; SARS-CoV-2; Vietnamese; Whole exome sequencing.