People who have a version of a gene inherited from Neanderthals have a lower risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death due to Covid-19, a new study has found.
The gene, known as OAS1, was introduced into the human genome after our ancestors mated with the now extinct relative about 60,000 years ago.
The OAS1 gene controls a protein of the same name that is involved in the body’s response to viruses.
The version inherited from Neanderthals is less common in society, but offers more protection against the coronavirus, researchers say.
The finding contradicts previous research, which found that a group of inherited Neanderthal genes may increase the risk of becoming seriously ill through Covid-19.
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A specific version of a gene known as OAS1, which is inherited from Neanderthals, reduces the risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death due to Covid-19.
The study, led by McGill University in Canada, looked in detail at the genetic code that produces different versions of OAS1.
One position within the gene, known as rs10774671, has two main forms. The most common form is variant ‘A’, but the ancestral version of Neanderthals is called variant ‘G’.
‘The ancestral variant (rs10774671-G) is the most important allele in African populations and has been identified in the Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes,’ the researchers write.
The difference between the two gene variants is that A results in many different types (or isoforms) of OAS1 proteins being produced in different amounts, while type G results in a large amount of one specific isoform of the OAS1 protein, called p46.
“How much each of us has on one of the isoforms is determined by a single change in the genetic code of the protein-coding gene, that is, the region in the genome that contains the blueprint to build this protein,” he said. studied the author, Dr. Maik. Pietzner of the University of Cambridge told MailOnline.
The p46 version of the protein is longer than the others and has higher antiviral activity than other types of OAS1, the researchers say.
The data suggest that humans have the p46 version of OAS1, which is made by the Neanderthal gene, but that they have less than one-third the risk of becoming infected than someone with low levels of p46 OAS1.
And if they do get infected, these people have only nine percent of the risk of hospitalization and five percent of the risk of developing ‘very serious’ Covid as someone with low p46 levels.
This gene has embedded itself in human genomes after our ancestors mated with the now extinct family member who lived about 60,000 years ago
The G-form of the gene originally came into Homo sapiens through our predecessor’s millennium with our sister species millennia ago and has continued to this day.
It took so long because of its ability to fight disease and provide a survival advantage.
“This protective form of OAS1 occurs in sub-Saharan Africa but was lost when the ancestors of modern-day Europeans migrated from Africa,” said co-author Brent Richards of the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University in Montreal.
“After that, it was reintroduced into the European population by mating with Neanderthals.”
The researchers believe that drugs that target the OAS1 gene and increase the amount of p46 in the system could lead to an effective treatment for Covid-19.
A previous study from the University of Edinburgh identified five genes that could negatively affect a patient’s chances of survival after capturing Covid-19.
One of these was a common version of OAS1 (variant A), which reinforced the suggestion that the type of OAS1 gene that a person inherits may play an important role in the progression and severity of the disease.
Meanwhile, a previous study found that some genes inherited from Neanderthal humans could have a negative effect on the survivability of coronavirus patients.
Researchers from Germany and Sweden found that a specific group of Neanderthal genes was linked to an increased risk of Covid-19 death.
In a study of 3,199 hospitalized patients with the coronavirus in Italy and Spain, they discovered that this genetic signature was linked to more serious diseases.
They found that people who developed Covid-19 so badly that they needed a ventilator had 70 percent more genes to have the genetic variation.