Prevalence of the SNP rs10774671 of the OAS1 gene in Mexico as a possible predisposing factor for RNA virus disease.

Sánchez-González, María Teresa; Cienfuegos-Jiménez, Oscar; Álvarez-Cuevas, Salomón; Pérez-Maya, Antonio Ali; Borrego-Soto, Gissela; Marino-Martínez, Iván Alberto

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the susceptibility of certain populations to RNA virus infection. This variety of agents is currently the cause of severe respiratory diseases (SARS-CoV2 and Influenza), Hepatitis C, measles and of high prevalence tropical diseases that are detected throughout the year (Dengue and Zika). The rs10774671 polymorphism is a base change from G to A in the last nucleotide of intron-5 of the OAS1 gene. This change modifies a splicing site and generates isoforms of the OAS1 protein with a higher molecular weight and a demonstrated lower enzymatic activity. The low activity of these OAS1 isoforms makes the innate immune response against RNA virus infections less efficient, representing a previously unattended risk factor for certain populations. OBJECTIVE Determine the distribution of rs10774671 in the open population of Mexico. METHODS In 98 healthy volunteers, allelic and genotypic frequencies were determined by qPCR using allele specific labeled probes, and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was determined. RESULTS The A-allele turned out to be the most prevalent in the analyzed population. CONCLUSIONS Our population is genetically susceptible to RNA virus disease due to the predominant presence of the A allele of rs10774671 in the OAS1 gene.