Using a population biobank to analyze genogeographic variability in Russia and globally for three polymorphisms associated with severe COVID-19

Aim. To study the genogeography of SNP markers associated with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and identify patterns of their distribution in indigenous populations of Russia and worldwide. The frequency of genetic polymorphisms associated with COVID-19 complications varies across ethnic groups.

Material and methods. Using collections from the Biobank of the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine and the Biobank of Northern Eurasia, we determined the allele and geno­type frequencies of the NFKBIA, TLR3, and TMPRSS2 genes asso­ciated with COVID-19 complications. The analysis included our own data (4207 samples from 186 populations of 97 ethnic groups from Rus­sia and neighboring countries) and published data (3070 samples from 227 populations worldwide). The data were analyzed using bio­informatics, statistical, and cartographic methods.

Results. A high frequency of the "risky" GG homozygote of the NFKBIA marker (rs696) was detected in Russian populations (0,55), with an in­creasing trend from west to east across the widest range as follows: from 0,08 among the Izhorians in the northwest to 0,92 among the Evens in the Far East. The Russian population is characterized by high fre­quencies of alternative homozygotes of the TLR3 (rs3775291) and TMPRSS2 (rs2070788) polymorphisms, which are not associated with the risk of COVID-19 complications. The indigenous populations of Nort­hern Eurasia possess the greatest genetic diversity of any region in the world. At the same time, they are harmoniously integrated into the gene pool of the Eurasian continent, and the Russian Far East is a tran­sition zone to the gene pool of the indigenous populations of North America.

Conclusion. A study of genogeographic variation makes it possible us to identify regions of Russia and the world for which the analyzed DNA markers pose the greatest risk for severe COVID-19.

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