Role of biobanks in studying frequencies of alleles associated with COVID-19 severity and outcome in the Russian population

Aim . To analyze the frequency and potential association with the severity and outcome of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) of MUC5B rs35705950, TERT rs2736100, TLR3 rs3775290, and TLR7 rs179008 polymorphisms. Material and methods . The study included blood samples from 4783 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from the biobank of City Hos­pi­tal № 40 (St. Petersburg). All patients signed informed consent to par­ticipate in the study. Genotyping was performed using real-time poly­me­rase chain reaction. Statistical analysis included Fisher's exact test and multiple regression. Results . Polymorphism frequencies are comparable with the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD). Among all polymorphisms, only the AA genotype of the TLR7 gene showed a significant association with severe COVID-19. Two following potentially significant genotype interactions were also identified: TERT AA + TLR7 T in men and TERT CC + TLR3 CT in women. Conclusion. The results highlight the value of local biobanks for stu­dying population-­based patterns of allele distribution and identifying genetic factors influencing the course of infectious diseases.