Features of the IL6 gene expression under its experimental modification in vitro by vaccine antigens (SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus) and benz(a)pyrene (using the IL6 transcript hs00174131_m1 as an example)

Introduction. Conditions under which the environment becomes destabilized allow hypothesizing about their modifying effects on the course of the SARS-CoV-2 infection and influenza. This determines the relevance of assessing the effects produced by these viral agents as well as environmental factors (for example, benz(a)pyrene), which use transcripts of candidate genes as a biological substrate, and expected effects in particular include specific expression of mRNA fragments.

Materials and methods. The relative normalized level of gene (protein) expression of the IL6 hs00174131_m1 gene was assessed in incubation of a whole blood cell cultures with benz(a)pyrene, SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccine antigen and influenza virus vaccine antigens the assessment was performed on spontaneous and antigen incubation-induced experimental models in vitro for various polymorphism scenarios of the IL6 C(-174)G (rs1800795) gene.

Results. Effects of bioexposition differed in the expression vector of mRNA fragments depending on polymorphic variants of the IL6 C(-174)G (rs1800795) gene. Thus, the minor variant of the IL6 C(-174)G gene polymorphism, was associated with activation of the expression of the IL6 hs00174131_m1 transcript (by 1.9 times). Exposure to viral antigens and benz(a)pyrene caused inhibition of the mRNA expression of the IL6 transcript hs00174131_m1 (by 1.2–3.7 times) for typical homozygous and heterozygous variants of the IL6 gene (rs1800795), which verifies occurrence of immunosuppression scenarios associated with the cytokine profile under antigenic exposure at the transcriptome level and allows clarifying the mechanism of modification of spontaneous effects by environmental chemical and biological factors depending on a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP).

Research limitations. Are related to the limited sample.

Conclusion. The hypothesis on modifying (inhibiting) effects of benz(a)pyrene and vaccine antigens (SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus) on the IL6 C(-174)G (rs1800795) gene expression has been confirmed by using experimental in vitro models. These effects reflect intensity of induction of the scaled values of its IL6 hs00174131_m1 transcript, which makes it possible to clarify some pathways of immune disorders in the “genome-postgenome” system associated with the course of viral infections and to recommend the proposed sensitivity and effect markers as indicators for diagnosing and preventing COVID-19 and influenza in a destabilized environment (using benzo(a)pyrene as an example).

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies (Protocol No. 13 dated of March 14, 2023). All patients were informed about the purpose of the study and gave informed voluntary consent to participate in the study.

Contribution of the authors:
Zaitseva N.V. — study design, editing;
Otavina E.A. — data collection and analysis, statistical analysis, writing and editing the text;
Dolgikh O.V. — study concept and design, editing the text;
Kazakova O.A. — data collection and analysis, statistical analysis, editing the text;
Starkova K.G. — statistical analysis, editing the text.
All authors are responsible for approving the final version of the article and the integrity of its all parts.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Conflict of interests. The authors declare no obvious or potential conflicts of interest in connection with the publication of this article.

Received: March 11, 2025 / Accepted: June 24, 2025 / Published October 31, 2025

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