Gene inherited from NEANDERTHALS slashes the risk of dying from Covid-19 by triggering production of a protein that helps fight the virus, study finds
- Researchers studied role of a protein called OAS1 made by gene of same name
- Different versions of this gene dictate which variety of OAS1 is produced
- Those with a Neanderthal gene make more of a variety called p46 which has a stronger ability to fight off Covid-19
People who carry a version of a gene inherited from Neanderthals are at lower risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death from Covid-19, a new study has found.
The gene, known as OAS1, was incorporated into the human genome after our ancestors mated with the now-extinct human relative around 60,000 years ago.
The OAS1 gene controls a protein of the same name, which is involved in the body’s response to viruses.
The version inherited from Neanderthals is less common in society, but offers increased protection against the coronavirus, researchers say.
The finding contradicts previous research, which found a cluster of inherited Neanderthal genes can increase the risk of getting severely ill from Covid-19.
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A specific version of a gene, known as OAS1, which was inherited from Neanderthals reduces the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death from Covid-19, a new study has found
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 from Neanderthals is dubbed variant ‘G’.
‘The ancestral variant (rs10774671-G) is the major allele in African populations and became fixed in Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes,’ the researchers write.
The difference between the two gene variants is that A leads to lots of different types (or isoforms) of OAS1 protein being produced in varying quantities, whereas type G leads to a large amount of one specific isoform of the OAS1 protein, called p46.
‘How much each of us has of either isoform seems to be determined by a single change in the genetic code of the protein-encoding gene, that is, the region in the genome containing the blueprint to build this protein,’ study author Dr Maik Pietzner from 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.
When people have high levels of the p46 version of OAS1, which is made by the Neanderthal gene, they have less than one third of the risk of getting infected as someone with low levels of p46 OAS1, the data suggests.
And if they do get infected, these people have just nine per cent of the risk of hospitalisation and and five per cent of the risk of developing ‘very severe’ Covid as someone with low levels of p46.
This gene embedded itself in human genomes after our ancestors mated with the now-extinct human relative that lived around 60,000 years ago
The G form of the gene originally came into Homo sapiens via our predecessor’s dalliances with our sister species millennia ago, and has survived to this day.
It lasted for so long because of its ability to fight off diseases, offering a survival benefit.
‘This protective form of OAS1 is present in sub-Saharan Africans but was lost when the ancestors of modern-day Europeans migrated out of Africa,’ study co-author Brent Richards from the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University in Montreal, told Reuters.
‘It was then re-introduced into the European population through mating with Neanderthals.’
The researchers believe that drugs which 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 can negatively influence a patient’s chances of survival after catching Covid-19.
One of these was common version of OAS1 (variant A), reinforcing the suggestion that the type of OAS1 gene a person inherits can play a significant role in disease progression and severity.
Meanwhile, a previous study found that some genes inherited from Neanderthals may have a negative impact on coronavirus patients’ chances of survival.
Researchers from Germany and Sweden found a specific cluster of Neanderthal genes had been linked to an increased risk of Covid-19 death.
In a study of 3,199 hospital patients with the coronavirus in Italy and Spain, they discovered that this genetic signature was linked to more severe illness.
They found that people who developed such bad Covid-19 that they needed a ventilator were 70 per cent more likely to have the genetic variation.
Neanderthals and Homo erectus went extinct due to bouts of sudden and intense climate change, study claims
Neanderthals and Homo erectus, both cousins of modern-day humans, went extinct due to sudden, and unexpectedly intense, bouts of climate change.
Scientists have long sought to understand the fate of our long-lost brethren, and previous studies have indicated climate change likely plays a major role.
Computer analysis, published today, reveals the hominins failed to adapt to a rapidly changing climate.
Researchers investigated temperature, rainfall and other data over the last five million years to get a gauge of the climate for every 1,000-year window.
They also modelled the evolution of Homo species’ through time by plundering an extensive database of more than 2,750 fossils.
The analysis revealed three Homo species – H. erectus, H. heidelbergensis and H. neanderthalensis – lost most of their ‘climatic niche’ just before going extinct.
Climactic niche describes a locale where conditions are just right for the species to survive, not too hot, dry, cold or barren.
According to the researchers, Neanderthals were wiped out around 40,000 years ago and Homo erectus went extinct 70,000 years before that.
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