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RNA N6-Methyladenosine Pathway Writer Genes Expression Levels and Clinical Severity of Infection in Covid-19 Patients

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Abstract

Epigenetic modifications are known to be effective in the severity and mortality rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection. N6-methyladenosin (m6A) is a posttranscriptional modification that is carried out by m6A methyltransferases (METTL3, METTL14, and WTAP). This modification is effective in the formation of a natural immune response in the relationship between the viral genome and the host cell. In this study, the relationship between clinical severity and METTL3, METTL14, WTAP expression levels in Covid-19 patients was studied for the first time. Also, patients’ D-dimer, ferritin, and C-reactive protein values were compared with these gene expression levels. Total RNA was extracted from blood samples of 100 volunteers and gene expressions were measured using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. It was determined that METTL3 (p < 0.001) and METTL14 (p = 0.005) genes were statistically significant between case and control. In addition, METTL14 (p = 0.007) and WTAP (p = 0.015) gene expressions were significantly increased in patients with severe disease. METTL14 was statistically significant between the male patients and the control (fold change = 63.87, p = 0.015). Overexpression of the METTL14 gene may have resulted in higher clinical severity in males. Our results demonstrate that host N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methyltransferases may be effective in the development of SARS-CoV-2 infection and prognosis of the disease.

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Funding

This study was supported by Mersin University Scientific Research Projects with the project numbered 2021-2-AP5-4537.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instutute of Health Sciences, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey

    Badel Arslan

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey

    Sevgi Baltacı & Mehmet Bakır

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biology, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey

    Burcu Bayyurt

  4. Faculty of Science, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey

    Nil Özbilum Sahin

  5. Vacotional School, Department of Physiotherapy, Nisantasi University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Murat Eser Akyurek

  6. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biology, Mersin University, 33100, Mersin, Turkey

    Serdal Arslan

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  1. Badel Arslan
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Correspondence to Serdal Arslan.

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Statement of Compliance with Standards of Research Involving Humans as Subjects

Ethics committee approval was received from Sivas Cumhuriyet University Clinical Research Ethics Committee (ethics committee decision no: 2020-10/01). The study was conducted in accordance with the Principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Arslan, B., Baltacı, S., Bayyurt, B. et al. RNA N6-Methyladenosine Pathway Writer Genes Expression Levels and Clinical Severity of Infection in Covid-19 Patients. Mol. Genet. Microbiol. Virol. 38, 129–136 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0891416823020118

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