AUTHOR=de Castro Mateus V. , Cariste Leonardo M. , Almeida Rafael R. , Sasahara Greyce L. , Silva Monize V. R. , Soares Flávia B. , Coria Vivian R. , Naslavsky Michel S. , Santos Keity S. , Cunha-Neto Edecio , Kalil Jorge , Zatz Mayana TITLE=Potential protective role of interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3) in COVID-19 JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2024 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2024.1464581 DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2024.1464581 ISSN=2235-2988 ABSTRACT=The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a quest to understand why certain individuals remain uninfected or asymptomatic despite repetitive exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we focused on six exposed females residing with their symptomatic and reinfected SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive COVID-19 partners. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from couples were analysed for poly (I:C)-induced mRNA expression of type I/III interferons and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Remarkably, we found a significant upregulation of the ISG interferon-inducible protein with tetrapeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3) gene exclusively in exposed uninfected or asymptomatic females, suggesting a potential role in protective immunity against symptomatic COVID-19.