Expression analysis of DDC, dACE2, and EPO genes in Moroccan COVID-19 patients: links to viral load and demographics

Authors

  • Oumaima Laazaazia Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
  • Ahd Ouladlahsen Service des Maladies Infectieuses, CHU Ibn Rochd, Casablanca, Morocco https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4298-4610
  • Safaa Aqillouch Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2439-220X
  • Haya Altawalah Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait
  • Rachid Noureddine Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
  • M’hammed Sarih Service de Parasitologie et des Maladies Vectorielles, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4375-0077
  • Pascal Pineau Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité “Organisation Nucléaire et Oncogenèse”, INSERM U993, Paris, France https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9407-1592
  • Abderrahmane Maaroufi Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
  • Mustapha Lkhider Laboratory of Virology, Microbiology, Quality and Biotechnology/Ecotoxicology and Biodiversity, Hassan II University, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Mohammedia, Morocco https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4886-601X
  • Sayeh Ezzikouri Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3982-6163

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.21079

Keywords:

COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, DDC, dACE2, EPO

Abstract

Introduction: Interactions between host and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are incompletely understood. Studies have highlighted the roles of L-dopa decarboxylase (DDC), interferon-inducible truncated isoform of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (dACE2), and immunomodulatory hypoxia-regulated gene erythropoietin (EPO) in viral infections. This study investigated the expression levels of DDC, dACE2, and EPO in 136 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and 88 controls.

Methodology: Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to quantify mRNA levels of DDC, dACE2, and EPO; and the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs.

Results: Significantly elevated levels of dACE2 (p = 0.003), DDC (p = 0.004), and EPO (p = 0.006) were observed in patients compared to controls. No correlation with the viral load (DDC: r = 0.12, p = 0.136; EPO: r = 0.02, p = 0.802; dACE2: r = 0.05, p = 0.491), and no associations with age or gender (all p > 0.05) were noted. There were positive correlations between DDC and dACE2 mRNA levels in infected (r = 0.31, p = 0.0002) and uninfected individuals (r = 0.25, p = 0.015); and between DDC and EPO in infected (r = 0.22, p = 0.008) and uninfected individuals (r = 0.27, p = 0.010). There was a positive correlation between dACE2 and EPO mRNA levels in both groups (infected: r = 0.22, p = 0.007; uninfected: r = 0.38, p = 0.0002).

Conclusions: DDC, dACE2, and EPO may contribute to COVID-19 pathogenesis through mechanisms independent of viral load, age, or gender.

Downloads

Published

2025-09-30

How to Cite

1.
Laazaazia O, Ouladlahsen A, Aqillouch S, Altawalah H, Noureddine R, Sarih M, Pineau P, Maaroufi A, Lkhider M, Ezzikouri S (2025) Expression analysis of DDC, dACE2, and EPO genes in Moroccan COVID-19 patients: links to viral load and demographics. J Infect Dev Ctries 19:1299–1307. doi: 10.3855/jidc.21079

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 09: September 2025

Section

Coronavirus Pandemic

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Oumaima Laazaazia , Ahd Ouladlahsen , Safaa Aqillouch , Haya Altawalah , Rachid Noureddine , M’hammed Sarih , Pascal Pineau , Abderrahmane Maaroufi , Mustapha Lkhider, Sayeh Ezzikouri

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC