It is not yet known why some patients develop little or no symptoms of COVID-19 after SARS-CoV-2 infection, while other patients suffer from severe to life-threatening courses of the disease.
However, it is known that the risk of a severe COVID-19 course increases with age and that men are affected more often than women. Serious illnesses are often accompanied by a higher tendency to form blood clots and thrombosis.
Data comparison
The scientific team of the German Goethe University and the University Hospital Frankfurt as well as the British University of Kent compared existing gene expression data of human tissues with data obtained from cultivated cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. They looked for molecules that are involved in blood coagulation, the occurrence of which differs in women and men and changes with age, and which are regulated differently with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Transferrin promotes blood clotting
The researchers identified the transferrin glycoprotein from more than 200 possible candidates. The molecular iron transporter is a molecule that promotes blood clotting.
Its concentration in the blood increases with age, it is higher in men than in women and transferrin is upregulated in SARS-CoV-2-infected cells. Transferrin could therefore be an early indicator of COVID-19 patients who are at risk of developing a severe disease
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