Abstract:
Family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F) is a significant modulator of innate
immune system that plays an essential role in wide and varied immune responses; however, the
association between FAM26F expression and COVID-19 infection is not yet known. The current
study investigated the differential expression of FAM26F during COVID-19 infection. The
investigation also examined how the expression levels of FAM26F change as the infection
worsens. Using Real-time qPCR, the expression of FAM26F and marker genes was evaluated. Our
results indicate that FAM26f is significantly downregulated in COVID-19-infected patients
compared to the control group (t = 3.138, df = 59, P = 0.0027). Higher expression was observed
in COVID-19 recovered cases, most likely because of decreased infection and enhanced immunity.
The expression level of FAM26F was negatively correlated with the absolute neutrophil count
(Pearson r=-0.383, P = 0.0470), which may be a result of ROS burst, which deregulates Ca+2
levels and consequently decreases FAM26F expression. Our research is the first to demonstrate an
association between FAM26F and COVID-19 infection. It is possible to improve COVID-19
clearance or containment by reversing ROS production and Ca2+ deregulation with calcium
modulators and antioxidants, most likely by modifying the expression of FAM26F, and this
possibility merits further study
