September 11, 2020

Racial/Ethnic Variation in Nasal Gene Expression of Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2)

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): disparities

• A study of nasal epithelial gene expression in a racially/ethnically diverse cohort (n=305) showed significantly higher expression of transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) in Black individuals compared with Asian, Latino, mixed race/ethnicity, and white individuals. Given the essential role of TMPRSS2 in SARS-CoV-2 entry, higher nasal expression of TMPRSS2 may be one of the many factors that contribute to a higher burden of COVID-19 among Black individuals.

  Bunyavanich et al. (Sept 10, 2020). Racial/Ethnic Variation in Nasal Gene Expression of Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2). JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.17386