IFNL4 genetic variant can predispose to COVID-19

Interferon lambda 4 (IFNλ4) has shown antiviral activity against RNA viruses, including some coronaviruses. Besides, genetic variants of IFNL4 can be predictive of clearance of RNA viruses. However, little is known about the effect of these genetic variants on SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we investigated whether there was a relationship of the rs12979860 polymorphism of IFNL4 with COVID-19. We found that the T allele of rs12979860 was overrepresented in the COVID-19 patients with regard to the general population without this disease (36.16% vs. 26.40%, p=6.4×10 ⁻⁴ ; OR=0.633; 95% CI=0.487,0.824), suggesting this allele could be a risk factor to COVID-19. Accordingly, the CC genotype was significantly lower in COVID-19 patients compared to controls (37.85% vs. 55.51%, p=8×10 ⁻⁵ ; OR=0.488; 95% CI=0.342,0.698). These results were not affected by sex, age, and disease severity in patients with COVID-19. Our findings suggest that, like other infectious diseases caused by RNA viruses, genetic variants of IFNL4 may predispose to COVID-19. Confirmation of our results could have a substantial impact on the prognosis and treatment of this disease.