{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T15:40:07Z","timestamp":1759938007458,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Journal of Infection in Developing Countries","issue":"09","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]],"date-time":"2025-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759190400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Infect Dev Ctries"],"abstract":"<jats:p>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.\nMethodology: 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.\nResults: 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 &gt; 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).\nConclusions: DDC, dACE2, and EPO may contribute to COVID-19 pathogenesis through mechanisms independent of viral load, age, or gender.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3855\/jidc.21079","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T15:03:58Z","timestamp":1759935838000},"page":"1299-1307","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Expression analysis of DDC, dACE2, and EPO genes in Moroccan COVID-19 patients: links to viral load and demographics"],"prefix":"10.3855","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Oumaima","family":"Laazaazia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4298-4610","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahd","family":"Ouladlahsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2439-220X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Safaa","family":"Aqillouch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haya","family":"Altawalah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rachid","family":"Noureddine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4375-0077","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u2019hammed","family":"Sarih","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9407-1592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pascal","family":"Pineau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abderrahmane","family":"Maaroufi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4886-601X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mustapha","family":"Lkhider","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3982-6163","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sayeh","family":"Ezzikouri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"2222","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]},"container-title":["The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.jidc.org\/index.php\/journal\/article\/download\/21079\/3726","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.jidc.org\/index.php\/journal\/article\/download\/21079\/3726","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T15:03:58Z","timestamp":1759935838000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.jidc.org\/index.php\/journal\/article\/view\/21079"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"09","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3855\/jidc.21079","relation":{},"ISSN":["1972-2680"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1972-2680","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]}}}