The Type of HLA Inherited from Ancestors Saves Japanese from Viruses
A cell infected by viruses attaches pieces of proteins created by viruses in the cell to a molecule called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) to display them. Then, a cytotoxic T-cell recognizes HLA and the pieces of proteins through the T-cell receptor to attack the infected cell.
Immune response to a virus also varies from individual to individual due to differences in the nucleotide sequences of genes called "polymorphisms." This variability means that even if two people become infected with the same virus, polymorphic variations may yield different immune responses. In an immune response, a group of molecules collectively referred to as HLA acts as a command tower that induces adaptive immunity, specifically binding to bits of virus proteins, generally referred to as epitopes. The recognition by T-cell receptors of epitopes bound to HLA is the key to the function of adaptive immunity, which is expressed in the function of cytotoxic T cells and antibody-producing B cells. There are many types of HLA genes (HLA-A, B, C, DR, DQ, DQ, DP, etc.) and the polymorphism in each HLA (e.g., HLA-A) are known to vary for individual to individual. This is thought to be related not only to differences in responsiveness to viruses but also to susceptibility to seasonal allergies and many other immune-mediated diseases. On the other hand, these immune responses, including innate immunity, are also strongly affected by individual variation other than polymorphic HLA genes, suggesting that various polymorphisms, in addition to HLA, play a significant role in the exacerbation of COVID-19. (https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-07/ou-tff070120.php)
The A, B, AB, and O types are related to red blood cells, but the white blood cells can be grouped according to HLA types whose number is more than 100,000. And the degree of easiness of suffering from a disease changes depending on a HLA type, because HLA plays an important role in response of immunity and this response varies according to difference in HLA types.
The current corona-viruses are based on structure of SARS viruses that caused a minor pandemic around 2003. Both types of viruses attach themselves to a receptor called ACE2 on the surface of human cells, which dramatically enhances their infectious capacity.
When SARS viruses spread in the world, there were almost no persons severely infected by the viruses in Japan. A Taiwanese scientist found that there were clear difference in infection among geological regions and studied on features common to patients developing severe disease due to the viruses. As a result the scientist discovered that those patients in Asia had commonly the B46 type of HLA. And only 5% of the Japanese people have the B46 type.
Those having the B46 type can be commonly observed in the southern China, and it is thought that Japanese with this type have ancestors who immigrated into Japan from the southern China about 1500 and 2500 years ago or so in the history.
However, majority of Japanese have ancestors (so called the Jomon people) having lived in the Japanese archipelago since more than thousands of years or tens of thousands of years ago. And geological distribution of areas in Japan with the small number of people contaminated by SARS viruses matches that of areas with people having genes received from the Jomon people.
In other words, because majority of the Japanese people are descendants of the Jomon people (who can be called original Japanese), they could avoid severe disease caused by SARS viruses around 2003 and the current corona-viruses. The type of HLA inherited from ancestors has saved most of Japanese from corona-viruses.
The number of people in the world infected by corona-viruses is 23,380,569 and the number of deaths due to the viruses is 808,697 as of August 23, 2020.
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Brazil 3,582,698 114,277
India 3,043,436 56,846
UK 324,601 41,423
France 238,002 30,512
Germany 233,857 9,331
(China 84,951 4,634...dubious)
JAPAN 61,747 1,176
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Luke 8 King James Version
23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.