MAP1LC3A and COVID-19: While this in silico analysis awaits further validation in vivo, the study on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of COVID-19 patients demonstrated that expression of the autophagy-inducing gene interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8), and several autophagy-related genes, such as ULK1, ATG5, UVRAG, AMBRA1, PIK3C3, and LC3, was significantly downregulated relative to PBMCs of healthy individuals [34].