TYK2 Gene One gene that appears strongly connected to disease severity with Covid-19 is known as TYK2. In healthy people, it helps control the body’s pathways for immune signaling and inflammatory signaling.
Previously, a variant of the TYK2 gene linked by the researchers to Covid-19 was found to be associated with a reduced risk for autoimmune diseases but an increased risk of tuberculosis.
Researchers suggested that since the variant has previously been shown to reduce the function of the gene, the same mechanism may be interfering with the body’s ability to effectively fight Covid.
Another gene the study identified, FOXP4, is linked to lung cancer. The FOXP4 variant increases that gene’s expression, suggesting that inhibiting the gene