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Dima F, Salvagno GL, Lippi G. Effects of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants on red blood cells parameters and red blood cell distribution width. Biomed J 2024:100787. [PMID: 39251135 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2024.100787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024] Open
Abstract
We planned a series of experiments to investigate the possible role of spike protein of different SARS-CoV-2 variants in influencing erythrocyte biology. The values of erythrocyte count, hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MHC) did not vary across all samples challenged with both concentrations of the four different SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike proteins. A significant increase in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was observed with the recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta spike proteins at both 2 and 20 ng/mL final concentrations. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) values increased significantly in samples treated with 20 ng/mL of all SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike proteins and reached the highest values in samples treated with Omicron recombinant spike protein. Blood smear revision evidenced hemagglutination and rouleaux in samples to which recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins were added, especially in those with Alpha and Delta variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Dima
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Gian Luca Salvagno
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Lippi
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
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Haunhorst S, Dudziak D, Scheibenbogen C, Seifert M, Sotzny F, Finke C, Behrends U, Aden K, Schreiber S, Brockmann D, Burggraf P, Bloch W, Ellert C, Ramoji A, Popp J, Reuken P, Walter M, Stallmach A, Puta C. Towards an understanding of physical activity-induced post-exertional malaise: Insights into microvascular alterations and immunometabolic interactions in post-COVID condition and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Infection 2024:10.1007/s15010-024-02386-8. [PMID: 39240417 DOI: 10.1007/s15010-024-02386-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A considerable number of patients who contracted SARS-CoV-2 are affected by persistent multi-systemic symptoms, referred to as Post-COVID Condition (PCC). Post-exertional malaise (PEM) has been recognized as one of the most frequent manifestations of PCC and is a diagnostic criterion of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Yet, its underlying pathomechanisms remain poorly elucidated. PURPOSE AND METHODS In this review, we describe current evidence indicating that key pathophysiological features of PCC and ME/CFS are involved in physical activity-induced PEM. RESULTS Upon physical activity, affected patients exhibit a reduced systemic oxygen extraction and oxidative phosphorylation capacity. Accumulating evidence suggests that these are mediated by dysfunctions in mitochondrial capacities and microcirculation that are maintained by latent immune activation, conjointly impairing peripheral bioenergetics. Aggravating deficits in tissue perfusion and oxygen utilization during activities cause exertional intolerance that are frequently accompanied by tachycardia, dyspnea, early cessation of activity and elicit downstream metabolic effects. The accumulation of molecules such as lactate, reactive oxygen species or prostaglandins might trigger local and systemic immune activation. Subsequent intensification of bioenergetic inflexibilities, muscular ionic disturbances and modulation of central nervous system functions can lead to an exacerbation of existing pathologies and symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Haunhorst
- Department of Sports Medicine and Health Promotion, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Wöllnitzer Straße 42, 07749, Jena, Germany
- Center for Interdisciplinary Prevention of Diseases Related to Professional Activities, Jena, Germany
| | - Diana Dudziak
- Institute of Immunology, Jena University Hospital/ Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Carmen Scheibenbogen
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Martina Seifert
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Franziska Sotzny
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Carsten Finke
- Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Uta Behrends
- Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany
- AGV Research Unit Gene Vectors, Helmholtz Munich (HMGU), Munich, Germany
| | - Konrad Aden
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Kiel University and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Stefan Schreiber
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Kiel University and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Dirk Brockmann
- Center Synergy of Systems, TU Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Paul Burggraf
- mHealth Pioneers GmbH, Körtestraße 10, 10967, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Bloch
- Department for Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine, Institute for Cardiovascular Research and Sports Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Claudia Ellert
- , Landarztnetz Lahn-Dill, Wetzlar, Germany
- Initiative Long COVID Deutschland, Lemgo, Germany
| | - Anuradha Ramoji
- Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) and Abbe Center of Photonics (ACP), Member of the Leibniz Centre for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI), Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Member of Leibniz Health Technologies, Member of the Leibniz Centre for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI), Jena, Germany
| | - Juergen Popp
- Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) and Abbe Center of Photonics (ACP), Member of the Leibniz Centre for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI), Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Member of Leibniz Health Technologies, Member of the Leibniz Centre for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI), Jena, Germany
| | - Philipp Reuken
- Department for Internal Medicine IV (Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases), Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena Center for Mental Health, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Andreas Stallmach
- Department for Internal Medicine IV (Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases), Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Puta
- Department of Sports Medicine and Health Promotion, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Wöllnitzer Straße 42, 07749, Jena, Germany.
- Department for Internal Medicine IV (Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases), Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
- Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany.
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Ward C, Schlichtholz B. Post-Acute Sequelae and Mitochondrial Aberration in SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:9050. [PMID: 39201736 PMCID: PMC11354507 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25169050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024] Open
Abstract
This review investigates links between post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), post-infection viral persistence, mitochondrial involvement and aberrant innate immune response and cellular metabolism during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Advancement of proteomic and metabolomic studies now allows deeper investigation of alterations to cellular metabolism, autophagic processes and mitochondrial dysfunction caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, while computational biology and machine learning have advanced methodologies of predicting virus-host gene and protein interactions. Particular focus is given to the interaction between viral genes and proteins with mitochondrial function and that of the innate immune system. Finally, the authors hypothesise that viral persistence may be a function of mitochondrial involvement in the sequestration of viral genetic material. While further work is necessary to understand the mechanisms definitively, a number of studies now point to the resolution of questions regarding the pathogenesis of PASC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beata Schlichtholz
- Department of Biochemistry, Gdańsk University of Medicine, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland;
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Lin K, Cai J, Guo J, Zhang H, Sun G, Wang X, Zhu K, Xue Q, Zhu F, Wang P, Yuan G, Sun Y, Wang S, Ai J, Zhang W. Multi-omics landscapes reveal heterogeneity in long COVID patients characterized with enhanced neutrophil activity. J Transl Med 2024; 22:753. [PMID: 39135185 PMCID: PMC11318262 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05560-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Omicron variant impacts populations with its rapid contagiousness, and part of patients suffered from persistent symptoms termed as long COVID. The molecular and immune mechanisms of this currently dominant global variant leading to long COVID remain unclear, due to long COVID heterogeneity across populations. METHODS We recruited 66 participants in total, 22 out of 66 were healthy control without COVID-19 infection history, and 22 complaining about long COVID symptoms 6 months after first infection of Omicron, referred as long COVID (LC) Group. The left ones were defined as non-long COVID (NLC) Group. We profiled them via plasma neutralizing antibody titer, SARS-CoV-2 viral load, transcriptomic and proteomics screening, and machine learning. RESULTS No serum residual SARS-CoV-2 was observed in the participants 6 months post COVID-19 infection. No significant difference in neutralizing antibody titers was found between the long COVID (LC) Group and the non-long COVID (NLC) Group. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling allow the stratification of long COVID into neutrophil function upregulated (NU-LC) and downregulated types (ND-LC). The NU-LC, identifiable through a refined set of 5 blood gene markers (ABCA13, CEACAM6, CRISP3, CTSG and BPI), displays evidence of relatively higher neutrophil counts and function of degranulation than the ND-LC at 6 months after infection, while recovered at 12 months post COVID-19. CONCLUSION The transcriptomic and proteomic profiling revealed heterogeneity among long COVID patients. We discovered a subgroup of long COVID population characterized by neutrophil activation, which might associate with the development of psychiatric symptoms and indicate a higher inflammatory state. Meanwhile, a cluster of 5 genes was manually curated as the most potent discriminators of NU-LC from long COVID population. This study can serve as a foundational exploration of the heterogeneity in the pathogenesis of long COVID and assist in therapeutic targeting and detailed epidemiological investigation of long COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Lin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianpeng Cai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingxin Guo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Infection and Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haocheng Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gangqiang Sun
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xun Wang
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Zhu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Quanlin Xue
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Wuxi Fifth Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi Fifth People's Hospital, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Pengfei Wang
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guanmin Yuan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhan Sun
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sen Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China.
- Institute of Infection and Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jingwen Ai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China.
- Institute of Infection and Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Wenhong Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Infection and Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Sumi T, Harada K. Vaccine and antiviral drug promise for preventing post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, and their combination for its treatment. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1329162. [PMID: 39185419 PMCID: PMC11341427 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1329162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Most healthy individuals recover from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas a remarkable number continues to suffer from unexplained symptoms, known as Long COVID or post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS). It is therefore imperative that methods for preventing and treating the onset of PASC be investigated with the utmost urgency. Methods A mathematical model of the immune response to vaccination and viral infection with SARS-CoV-2, incorporating immune memory cells, was developed. Results and discussion Similar to our previous model, persistent infection was observed by the residual virus in the host, implying the possibility of chronic inflammation and delayed recovery from tissue injury. Pre-infectious vaccination and antiviral medication administered during onset can reduce the acute viral load; however, they show no beneficial effects in preventing persistent infection. Therefore, the impact of these treatments on the PASC, which has been clinically observed, is mainly attributed to their role in preventing severe tissue damage caused by acute viral infections. For PASC patients with persistent infection, vaccination was observed to cause an immediate rapid increase in viral load, followed by a temporary decrease over approximately one year. The former was effectively suppressed by the coadministration of antiviral medications, indicating that this combination is a promising treatment for PASC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomonari Sumi
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Kouji Harada
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
- Center for IT-Based Education, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
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Zuo W, He D, Liang C, Du S, Hua Z, Nie Q, Zhou X, Yang M, Tan H, Xu J, Yu Y, Zhan Y, Zhang Y, Gu X, Zhu W, Zhang H, Li H, Sun W, Sun M, Liu X, Liu L, Cao C, Li R, Li J, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Guo J, Zhao L, Zhang CP, Liu H, Wang S, Xiao F, Wang Y, Wang Z, Li H, Cao B. The persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in tissues and its association with long COVID symptoms: a cross-sectional cohort study in China. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024; 24:845-855. [PMID: 38663423 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(24)00171-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growing evidence suggests that symptoms associated with post-COVID-19 condition (also known as long COVID) can affect multiple organs and systems in the human body, but their association with viral persistence is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in diverse tissues at three timepoints following recovery from mild COVID-19, as well as its association with long COVID symptoms. METHODS This single-centre, cross-sectional cohort study was done at China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, China, following the omicron wave of COVID-19 in December, 2022. Individuals with mild COVID-19 confirmed by PCR or a lateral flow test scheduled to undergo gastroscopy, surgery, or chemotherapy, or scheduled for treatment in hospital for other reasons, at 1 month, 2 months, or 4 months after infection were enrolled in this study. Residual surgical samples, gastroscopy samples, and blood samples were collected approximately 1 month (18-33 days), 2 months (55-84 days), or 4 months (115-134 days) after infection. SARS-CoV-2 was detected by digital droplet PCR and further confirmed through RNA in-situ hybridisation, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. Telephone follow-up was done at 4 months post-infection to assess the association between the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and long COVID symptoms. FINDINGS Between Jan 3 and April 28, 2023, 317 tissue samples were collected from 225 patients, including 201 residual surgical specimens, 59 gastroscopy samples, and 57 blood component samples. Viral RNA was detected in 16 (30%) of 53 solid tissue samples collected at 1 month, 38 (27%) of 141 collected at 2 months, and seven (11%) of 66 collected at 4 months. Viral RNA was distributed across ten different types of solid tissues, including liver, kidney, stomach, intestine, brain, blood vessel, lung, breast, skin, and thyroid. Additionally, subgenomic RNA was detected in 26 (43%) of 61 solid tissue samples tested for subgenomic RNA that also tested positive for viral RNA. At 2 months after infection, viral RNA was detected in the plasma of three (33%), granulocytes of one (11%), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of two (22%) of nine patients who were immunocompromised, but in none of these blood compartments in ten patients who were immunocompetent. Among 213 patients who completed the telephone questionnaire, 72 (34%) reported at least one long COVID symptom, with fatigue (21%, 44 of 213) being the most frequent symptom. Detection of viral RNA in recovered patients was significantly associated with the development of long COVID symptoms (odds ratio 5·17, 95% CI 2·64-10·13, p<0·0001). Patients with higher virus copy numbers had a higher likelihood of developing long COVID symptoms. INTERPRETATION Our findings suggest that residual SARS-CoV-2 can persist in patients who have recovered from mild COVID-19 and that there is a significant association between viral persistence and long COVID symptoms. Further research is needed to verify a mechanistic link and identify potential targets to improve long COVID symptoms. FUNDING National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key R&D Program of China, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences, and New Cornerstone Science Foundation. TRANSLATION For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Zuo
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Di He
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Chaoyang Liang
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Department of General Thoracic Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Shiyu Du
- Department of Gastroenterology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Zhan Hua
- Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Qiangqiang Nie
- Department of General Surgery, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhou
- Department of Urology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Meng Yang
- Division of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Haidong Tan
- Second Division of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Jiuyang Xu
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Yanbing Yu
- Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Yuliang Zhan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operating Theatre, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoying Gu
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Department of Clinical Research and Data Management, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Weijie Zhu
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Department of General Thoracic Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongyan Li
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Weiliang Sun
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Mingzhi Sun
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Changping Laboratory, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolei Liu
- Second Division of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Liguo Liu
- Second Division of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Chuanzhen Cao
- Department of Urology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Li
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Yuting Zhang
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Guo
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Zhao
- Department of Pathology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Chuan-Peng Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University China-Japan Friendship School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Hongyu Liu
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shiyao Wang
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Xiao
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Yeming Wang
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China.
| | - Zai Wang
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Haibo Li
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Changping Laboratory, Beijing, China.
| | - Bin Cao
- National Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Changping Laboratory, Beijing, China; Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
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7
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Li H, Wan L, Liu M, Ma E, Huang L, Yang Y, Li Q, Fang Y, Li J, Han B, Zhang C, Sun L, Hou X, Li H, Sun M, Qian S, Duan X, Zhao R, Yang X, Chen Y, Wu S, Zhang X, Zhang Y, Cheng G, Chen G, Gao Q, Xu J, Hou L, Wei C, Zhong H. SARS-CoV-2 spike-induced syncytia are senescent and contribute to exacerbated heart failure. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012291. [PMID: 39102426 PMCID: PMC11326701 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SARS-2-S) induced cell-cell fusion in uninfected cells may occur in long COVID-19 syndrome, as circulating SARS-2-S or extracellular vesicles containing SARS-2-S (S-EVs) were found to be prevalent in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) for up to 12 months after diagnosis. Although isolated recombinant SARS-2-S protein has been shown to increase the SASP in senescent ACE2-expressing cells, the direct linkage of SARS-2-S syncytia with senescence in the absence of virus infection and the degree to which SARS-2-S syncytia affect pathology in the setting of cardiac dysfunction are unknown. Here, we found that the senescent outcome of SARS-2-S induced syncytia exacerbated heart failure progression. We first demonstrated that syncytium formation in cells expressing SARS-2-S delivered by DNA plasmid or LNP-mRNA exhibits a senescence-like phenotype. Extracellular vesicles containing SARS-2-S (S-EVs) also confer a potent ability to form senescent syncytia without de novo synthesis of SARS-2-S. However, it is important to note that currently approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not induce syncytium formation or cellular senescence. Mechanistically, SARS-2-S syncytia provoke the formation of functional MAVS aggregates, which regulate the senescence fate of SARS-2-S syncytia by TNFα. We further demonstrate that senescent SARS-2-S syncytia exhibit shrinked morphology, leading to the activation of WNK1 and impaired cardiac metabolism. In pre-existing heart failure mice, the WNK1 inhibitor WNK463, anti-syncytial drug niclosamide, and senolytic dasatinib protect the heart from exacerbated heart failure triggered by SARS-2-S. Our findings thus suggest a potential mechanism for COVID-19-mediated cardiac pathology and recommend the application of WNK1 inhibitor for therapy especially in individuals with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huilong Li
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
- College of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Luming Wan
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Muyi Liu
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Enhao Ma
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Linfei Huang
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Yilong Yang
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Qihong Li
- The Fifth Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Fang
- The Fifth Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jingfei Li
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Bingqing Han
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Chang Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Lijuan Sun
- Beijing Yaogen Biotechnology Co.Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Xufeng Hou
- Beijing Yaogen Biotechnology Co.Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Haiyang Li
- Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Mingyu Sun
- Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Sichong Qian
- Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuejing Duan
- Department of Pathology, Fuwai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
| | - Ruzhou Zhao
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaopan Yang
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Chen
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Shipo Wu
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Xuhui Zhang
- Beijing Yaogen Biotechnology Co.Ltd, Beijing, China
| | | | - Gong Cheng
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Gengye Chen
- People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan, China
| | - Qi Gao
- Beijing Yaogen Biotechnology Co.Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Junjie Xu
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Lihua Hou
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
- College of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Congwen Wei
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Zhong
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
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8
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Boegner DJ, Na M, Harris AD, Christenson RH, Damcott CM, King B, Stubbs L, Rock P, White IM. Sample-to-Answer Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Viremia Using Thermally Responsive Alkane Partitions. Anal Chem 2024; 96:12049-12056. [PMID: 38975928 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
The diagnosis of bloodborne viral infections (viremia) is currently relegated to central laboratories because of the complex procedures required to detect viruses in blood samples. The development of point-of-care diagnostics for viremia would enable patients to receive a diagnosis and begin treatment immediately instead of waiting days for results. Point-of-care systems for viremia have been limited by the challenges of integrating multiple precise steps into a fully automated (i.e., sample-to-answer), compact, low-cost system. We recently reported the development of thermally responsive alkane partitions (TRAPs), which enable the complete automation of diagnostic assays with complex samples. Here we report the use of TRAPs for the sample-to-answer detection of viruses in blood using a low-cost portable device and easily manufacturable cassettes. Specifically, we demonstrate the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in spiked blood samples, and we show that our system detects viremia in COVID-19 patient samples with good agreement to conventional RT-qPCR. We anticipate that our sample-to-answer system can be used to rapidly diagnose SARS-CoV-2 viremia at the point of care, leading to better health outcomes for patients with severe COVID-19 disease, and that our system can be applied to the diagnosis of other life-threatening bloodborne viral diseases, including Hepatitis C and HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Boegner
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Miso Na
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Anthony D Harris
- Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Robert H Christenson
- Department of Pathology, The University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Colleen M Damcott
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Brent King
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - LaToya Stubbs
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Peter Rock
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Ian M White
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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9
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Datta G, Rezagholizadeh N, Hasler WA, Khan N, Chen X. SLC38A9 regulates SARS-CoV-2 viral entry. iScience 2024; 27:110387. [PMID: 39071889 PMCID: PMC11277692 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 viral entry into host cells depends on the cleavage of spike (S) protein into S1 and S2 proteins. Such proteolytic cleavage by furin results in the exposure of a multibasic motif on S1, which is critical for SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and transmission; however, how such a multibasic motif contributes to the infection of SARS-CoV-2 remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the multibasic motif on S1 is critical for its interaction with SLC38A9, an endolysosome-resident arginine sensor. SLC38A9 knockdown prevents S1-induced endolysosome de-acidification and blocks the S protein-mediated entry of pseudo-SARS-CoV-2 in Calu-3, U87MG, Caco-2, and A549 cells. Our findings provide a novel mechanism in regulating SARS-CoV-2 viral entry; S1 present in endolysosome lumen could interact with SLC38A9, which mediates S1-induced endolysosome de-acidification and dysfunction, facilitating the escape of SARS-CoV-2 from endolysosomes and enhancing viral entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Datta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
| | - Neda Rezagholizadeh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
| | - Wendie A. Hasler
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
| | - Nabab Khan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
| | - Xuesong Chen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
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10
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Peluso MJ, Ryder D, Flavell R, Wang Y, Levi J, LaFranchi BH, Deveau TM, Buck AM, Munter SE, Asare KA, Aslam M, Koch W, Szabo G, Hoh R, Deswal M, Rodriguez A, Buitrago M, Tai V, Shrestha U, Lu S, Goldberg SA, Dalhuisen T, Vasquez JJ, Durstenfeld MS, Hsue PY, Kelly JD, Kumar N, Martin JN, Gambhir A, Somsouk M, Seo Y, Deeks SG, Laszik ZG, VanBrocklin HF, Henrich TJ. Tissue-based T cell activation and viral RNA persist for up to 2 years after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadk3295. [PMID: 38959327 PMCID: PMC11337933 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adk3295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
The mechanisms of postacute medical conditions and unexplained symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection [Long Covid (LC)] are incompletely understood. There is growing evidence that viral persistence, immune dysregulation, and T cell dysfunction may play major roles. We performed whole-body positron emission tomography imaging in a well-characterized cohort of 24 participants at time points ranging from 27 to 910 days after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection using the radiopharmaceutical agent [18F]F-AraG, a selective tracer that allows for anatomical quantitation of activated T lymphocytes. Tracer uptake in the postacute COVID-19 group, which included those with and without continuing symptoms, was higher compared with prepandemic controls in many regions, including the brain stem, spinal cord, bone marrow, nasopharyngeal and hilar lymphoid tissue, cardiopulmonary tissues, and gut wall. T cell activation in the spinal cord and gut wall was associated with the presence of LC symptoms. In addition, tracer uptake in lung tissue was higher in those with persistent pulmonary symptoms specifically. Increased T cell activation in these tissues was also observed in many individuals without LC. Given the high [18F]F-AraG uptake detected in the gut, we obtained colorectal tissue for in situ hybridization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and immunohistochemical studies in a subset of five participants with LC symptoms. We identified intracellular SARS-CoV-2 single-stranded spike protein-encoding RNA in rectosigmoid lamina propria tissue in all five participants and double-stranded spike protein-encoding RNA in three participants up to 676 days after initial COVID-19, suggesting that tissue viral persistence could be associated with long-term immunologic perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Peluso
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Dylan Ryder
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Robert Flavell
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Yingbing Wang
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Jelena Levi
- CellSight Technologies, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94107
| | - Brian H. LaFranchi
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Tyler-Marie Deveau
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Amanda M. Buck
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Sadie E. Munter
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Kofi A. Asare
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Maya Aslam
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Walter Koch
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Gyula Szabo
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94143
| | - Rebecca Hoh
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Monika Deswal
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Antonio Rodriguez
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Melissa Buitrago
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Viva Tai
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Uttam Shrestha
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Scott Lu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Sarah A. Goldberg
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Thomas Dalhuisen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Joshua J. Vasquez
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Matthew S. Durstenfeld
- Division of Cardiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Priscilla Y. Hsue
- Division of Cardiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - J. Daniel Kelly
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Nitasha Kumar
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Jeffrey N. Martin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Aruna Gambhir
- CellSight Technologies, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94107
| | - Ma Somsouk
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Youngho Seo
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Steven G. Deeks
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
| | - Zoltan G. Laszik
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94143
| | - Henry F. VanBrocklin
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94158
| | - Timothy J. Henrich
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94110
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11
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VanElzakker MB, Bues HF, Brusaferri L, Kim M, Saadi D, Ratai EM, Dougherty DD, Loggia ML. Neuroinflammation in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) as assessed by [ 11C]PBR28 PET correlates with vascular disease measures. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 119:713-723. [PMID: 38642615 PMCID: PMC11225883 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has triggered a consequential public health crisis of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), sometimes referred to as long COVID. The mechanisms of the heterogeneous persistent symptoms and signs that comprise PASC are under investigation, and several studies have pointed to the central nervous and vascular systems as being potential sites of dysfunction. In the current study, we recruited individuals with PASC with diverse symptoms, and examined the relationship between neuroinflammation and circulating markers of vascular dysfunction. We used [11C]PBR28 PET neuroimaging, a marker of neuroinflammation, to compare 12 PASC individuals versus 43 normative healthy controls. We found significantly increased neuroinflammation in PASC versus controls across a wide swath of brain regions including midcingulate and anterior cingulate cortex, corpus callosum, thalamus, basal ganglia, and at the boundaries of ventricles. We also collected and analyzed peripheral blood plasma from the PASC individuals and found significant positive correlations between neuroinflammation and several circulating analytes related to vascular dysfunction. These results suggest that an interaction between neuroinflammation and vascular health may contribute to common symptoms of PASC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B VanElzakker
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; PolyBio Research Foundation, Medford, MA, USA.
| | - Hannah F Bues
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ludovica Brusaferri
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Computer Science And Informatics, School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Minhae Kim
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Deena Saadi
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eva-Maria Ratai
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Darin D Dougherty
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marco L Loggia
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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12
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Hamlin RE, Pienkos SM, Chan L, Stabile MA, Pinedo K, Rao M, Grant P, Bonilla H, Holubar M, Singh U, Jacobson KB, Jagannathan P, Maldonado Y, Holmes SP, Subramanian A, Blish CA. Sex differences and immune correlates of Long COVID development, persistence, and resolution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.18.599612. [PMID: 38948732 PMCID: PMC11212991 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.18.599612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Sex differences have been observed in acute COVID-19 and Long COVID (LC) outcomes, with greater disease severity and mortality during acute infection in males and a greater proportion of females developing LC. We hypothesized that sex-specific immune dysregulation contributes to the pathogenesis of LC. To investigate the immunologic underpinnings of LC development and persistence, we used single-cell transcriptomics, single-cell proteomics, and plasma proteomics on blood samples obtained during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and at 3 and 12 months post-infection in a cohort of 45 patients who either developed LC or recovered. Several sex-specific immune pathways were associated with LC. Specifically, males who would develop LC at 3 months had widespread increases in TGF-β signaling during acute infection in proliferating NK cells. Females who would develop LC demonstrated increased expression of XIST, an RNA gene implicated in autoimmunity, and increased IL1 signaling in monocytes at 12 months post infection. Several immune features of LC were also conserved across sexes. Both males and females with LC had reduced co-stimulatory signaling from monocytes and broad upregulation of NF-κB transcription factors. In both sexes, those with persistent LC demonstrated increased LAG3, a marker of T cell exhaustion, reduced ETS1 transcription factor expression across lymphocyte subsets, and elevated intracellular IL-4 levels in T cell subsets, suggesting that ETS1 alterations may drive an aberrantly elevated Th2-like response in LC. Altogether, this study describes multiple innate and adaptive immune correlates of LC, some of which differ by sex, and offers insights toward the pursuit of tailored therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Hamlin
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Shaun M Pienkos
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Leslie Chan
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Immunology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mikayla A Stabile
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kassandra Pinedo
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mallika Rao
- Stanford Center for Clinical Research, Stanford University; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Philip Grant
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hector Bonilla
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Marisa Holubar
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Upinder Singh
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Karen B Jacobson
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Prasanna Jagannathan
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Yvonne Maldonado
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Susan P Holmes
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Aruna Subramanian
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Catherine A Blish
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub; San Francisco, CA, USA
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13
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Hamlin RE, Blish CA. Challenges and opportunities in long COVID research. Immunity 2024; 57:1195-1214. [PMID: 38865966 PMCID: PMC11210969 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Long COVID (LC) is a condition in which patients do not fully recover from the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection but rather have persistent or new symptoms for months to years following the infection. Ongoing research efforts are investigating the pathophysiologic mechanisms of LC and exploring preventative and therapeutic treatment approaches for patients. As a burgeoning area of investigation, LC research can be structured to be more inclusive, innovative, and effective. In this perspective, we highlight opportunities for patient engagement and diverse research expertise, as well as the challenges of developing definitions and reproducible studies. Our intention is to provide a foundation for collaboration and progress in understanding the biomarkers and mechanisms driving LC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine A Blish
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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14
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Quarleri J, Delpino MV. The interplay of aging, adipose tissue, and COVID-19: a potent alliance with implications for health. GeroScience 2024; 46:2915-2932. [PMID: 38191833 PMCID: PMC11009220 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-023-01058-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Obesity has emerged as a significant public health challenge. With the ongoing increase in life expectancy, the prevalence of obesity is steadily growing, particularly among older age demographics. The extension of life expectancy frequently results in additional years of vulnerability to chronic health issues associated with obesity in the elderly.The concept of SARS-CoV-2 directly infecting adipose tissue stems from the fact that both adipocytes and stromal vascular fraction cells express ACE2, the primary receptor facilitating SARS-CoV-2 entry. It is noteworthy that adipose tissue demonstrates ACE2 expression levels similar to those found in the lungs within the same individual. Additionally, ACE2 expression in the adipose tissue of obese individuals surpasses that in non-obese counterparts. Viral attachment to ACE2 has the potential to disturb the equilibrium of renin-angiotensin system homeostasis, leading to an exacerbated inflammatory response.Consequently, adipose tissue has been investigated as a potential site for active SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting its plausible role in virus persistence and contribution to both acute and long-term consequences associated with COVID-19.This review is dedicated to presenting current evidence concerning the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the adipose tissue of elderly individuals infected with the virus. Both obesity and aging are circumstances that contribute to severe health challenges, heightening the risk of disease and mortality. We will particularly focus on examining the mechanisms implicated in the long-term consequences, with the intention of providing insights into potential strategies for mitigating the aftermath of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Quarleri
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Paraguay 2155, Piso 11, C1121ABG, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - M Victoria Delpino
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Paraguay 2155, Piso 11, C1121ABG, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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15
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Landolina N, Ricci B, Veneziani I, Alicata C, Mariotti FR, Pelosi A, Quatrini L, Mortari EP, Carsetti R, Vacca P, Tumino N, Azzarone B, Moretta L, Maggi E. TLR2/4 are novel activating receptors for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on NK cells. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1368946. [PMID: 38881905 PMCID: PMC11176535 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1368946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Background In early infected or severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, circulating NK cells are consistently reduced, despite being highly activated or exhausted. The aim of this paper was to establish whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein (SP) may directly trigger NK cells and through which receptor(s). Methods SP-stimulated human NK cells have been evaluated for the expression of activation markers, cytokine release, and cytotoxic activity, as well as for gene expression profiles and NF-kB phosphorylation, and they have been silenced with specific small interfering RNAs. Results SPs from the Wuhan strain and other variants of concern (VOCs) directly bind and stimulate purified NK cells by increasing activation marker expression, cytokine release, and cytolytic activity, prevalently in the CD56brightNK cell subset. VOC-SPs differ in their ability to activate NK cells, G614, and Delta-Plus strains providing the strongest activity in the majority of donors. While VOC-SPs do not trigger ACE2, which is not expressed on NK cells, or other activating receptors, they directly and variably bind to both Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4. Moreover, SP-driven NK cell functions are inhibited upon masking such receptors or silencing the relative genes. Lastly, VOC-SPs upregulate CD56dimNK cell functions in COVID-19 recovered, but not in non-infected, individuals. Conclusions TLR2 and TLR4 are novel activating receptors for SP in NK cells, suggesting a new role of these cells in orchestrating the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The pathogenic relevance of this finding is highlighted by the fact that free SP providing NK cell activation is frequently detected in a SARS-CoV-2 inflamed environment and in plasma of infected and long-COVID-19 subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Landolina
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Biancamaria Ricci
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Irene Veneziani
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Alicata
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Pelosi
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Linda Quatrini
- Innate Lymphoid Cells Unit, Immunology Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Eva Piano Mortari
- B cell Unit, Immunology Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Rita Carsetti
- B cell Unit, Immunology Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Vacca
- Innate Lymphoid Cells Unit, Immunology Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola Tumino
- Innate Lymphoid Cells Unit, Immunology Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Azzarone
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Maggi
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, Torres-Macho J, Macasaet R, Velasco JV, Ver AT, Culasino Carandang THD, Guerrero JJ, Franco-Moreno A, Chung W, Notarte KI. Presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms: a systematic review of the literature. Clin Chem Lab Med 2024; 62:1044-1052. [PMID: 38366966 DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2024-0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Viral persistence is one of the main hypotheses explaining the presence of post-COVID symptoms. This systematic review investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, urine, and nasal/oral swab samples in individuals with post-COVID symptomatology. CONTENT MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science databases, as well as medRxiv/bioRxiv preprint servers were searched up to November 25th, 2023. Articles investigating the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, stool, urine or nasal/oral swab samples in patients with post-COVID symptoms were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale or Cochrane's Risk of Bias (Rob) tool. SUMMARY From 322 studies identified, six studies met all inclusion criteria. The sample included 678 COVID-19 survivors (52 % female, aged from 29 to 66 years). The methodological quality was moderate in 88 % of the studies (n=5/6). Three papers investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma, three studies in nasal/oral swabs, two studies in stool samples, one in urine and one in saliva. The follow-up was shorter than two months (<60 days after) in 66 % of the studies (n=4/6). The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA ranged from 5 to 59 % in patients with post-COVID symptoms the first two months after infection, depending on the sample tested, however, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was also identified in COVID-19 survivors without post-COVID symptoms (one study). OUTLOOK Available evidence can suggest the presence of persistent SARS-CoV-2 RNA in post-COVID patients in the short term, although the biases within the studies do not permit us to make firm assumptions. The association between post-COVID symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the samples tested is also conflicting. The lack of comparative group without post-COVID symptoms limits the generalizability of viral persistence in post-COVID-19 condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- César Fernández-de-Las-Peñas
- Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 619352 Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) , Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Torres-Macho
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor-Virgen de la Torre 571738 , Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, 571738 Universidad Complutense de Madrid , Madrid, Spain
| | - Raymart Macasaet
- Department of Medicine, 24054 Monmouth Medical Center , Long Branch, NJ, USA
| | | | - Abbygail Therese Ver
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, 125865 University of Santo Tomas , Manila, Philippines
| | | | | | - Ana Franco-Moreno
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor-Virgen de la Torre 571738 , Madrid, Spain
| | - William Chung
- Department of Pathology, 1500 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kin Israel Notarte
- Department of Pathology, 1500 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
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17
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Andrews JS, Boonyaratanakornkit JB, Krusinska E, Allen S, Posada JA. Assessment of the Impact of RNase in Patients With Severe Fatigue Related to Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC): A Randomized Phase 2 Trial of RSLV-132. Clin Infect Dis 2024:ciae205. [PMID: 38728385 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciae205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA and RNA debris persist in viral reservoirs for weeks to months following infection, potentially triggering interferon production and chronic inflammation. RSLV-132 is a biologic drug composed of catalytically active human RNase1 fused to human IgG1 Fc and is designed to remain in circulation and digest extracellular RNA. We hypothesized that removal of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA from latent reservoirs may improve inflammation, neuroinflammation, and fatigue associated with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). METHODS This was a phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial in participants with a 24-week history of PASC and severe fatigue. The primary endpoint of the trial assessed the impact of 6 intravenous doses of RSLV-132 on the mean change from baseline at day 71 in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Fatigue Short Form 7a (PROMIS Fatigue SF 7a). RESULTS A statistically significant difference on day 71 was not observed with respect to the primary or secondary endpoints. This was likely due to a placebo response that increased during the trial. Statistically significant improvement in fatigue as measured by the PROMIS Fatigue SF 7a, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue), and Physicians Global Assessment (PGA) instruments were observed earlier in the trial, with women demonstrating greater responses to RSLV-132 than men. CONCLUSION While fatigue was not statistically significantly improved at Day 71, earlier timepoints revealed statistically significant improvement in fatigue and physician global assessment. The data suggest eliminating latent viral RNA by increasing serum RNase activity may improve fatigue in PASC patients. Women may respond better to this approach than men. Future studies will aim to confirm these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- James S Andrews
- Department of Rheumatology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Jim B Boonyaratanakornkit
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Infectious Disease, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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18
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Horowitz RI, Fallon J, Freeman PR. Combining Double-Dose and High-Dose Pulsed Dapsone Combination Therapy for Chronic Lyme Disease/Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome and Co-Infections, Including Bartonella: A Report of 3 Cases and a Literature Review. Microorganisms 2024; 12:909. [PMID: 38792737 PMCID: PMC11124288 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12050909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Three patients with relapsing and remitting borreliosis, babesiosis, and bartonellosis, despite extended anti-infective therapy, were prescribed double-dose dapsone combination therapy (DDDCT) for 8 weeks, followed by one or several two-week courses of pulsed high-dose dapsone combination therapy (HDDCT). We discuss these patients' cases to illustrate three important variables required for long-term remission. First, diagnosing and treating active co-infections, including Babesia and Bartonella were important. Babesia required rotations of multiple anti-malarial drug combinations and herbal therapies, and Bartonella required one or several 6-day HDDCT pulses to achieve clinical remission. Second, all prior oral, intramuscular (IM), and/or intravenous (IV) antibiotics used for chronic Lyme disease (CLD)/post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), irrespective of the length of administration, were inferior in efficacy to short-term pulsed biofilm/persister drug combination therapy i.e., dapsone, rifampin, methylene blue, and pyrazinamide, which improved resistant fatigue, pain, headaches, insomnia, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Lastly, addressing multiple factors on the 16-point multiple systemic infectious disease syndrome (MSIDS) model was important in achieving remission. In conclusion, DDDCT with one or several 6-7-day pulses of HDDCT, while addressing abnormalities on the 16-point MSIDS map, could represent a novel effective clinical and anti-infective strategy in CLD/PTLDS and associated co-infections including Bartonella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard I. Horowitz
- New York State Department of Health Tick-Borne Working Group, Albany, NY 12224, USA
- Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, Hyde Park, NY 12538, USA; (J.F.); (P.R.F.)
| | - John Fallon
- Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, Hyde Park, NY 12538, USA; (J.F.); (P.R.F.)
| | - Phyllis R. Freeman
- Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, Hyde Park, NY 12538, USA; (J.F.); (P.R.F.)
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Scheim DE, Parry PI, Rabbolini DJ, Aldous C, Yagisawa M, Clancy R, Borody TJ, Hoy WE. Back to the Basics of SARS-CoV-2 Biochemistry: Microvascular Occlusive Glycan Bindings Govern Its Morbidities and Inform Therapeutic Responses. Viruses 2024; 16:647. [PMID: 38675987 PMCID: PMC11054389 DOI: 10.3390/v16040647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Consistent with the biochemistry of coronaviruses as well established over decades, SARS-CoV-2 makes its initial attachment to host cells through the binding of its spike protein (SP) to sialylated glycans (containing the monosaccharide sialic acid) on the cell surface. The virus can then slide over and enter via ACE2. SARS-CoV-2 SP attaches particularly tightly to the trillions of red blood cells (RBCs), platelets and endothelial cells in the human body, each cell very densely coated with sialic acid surface molecules but having no ACE2 or minimal ACE2. These interlaced attachments trigger the blood cell aggregation, microvascular occlusion and vascular damage that underlie the hypoxia, blood clotting and related morbidities of severe COVID-19. Notably, the two human betacoronaviruses that express a sialic acid-cleaving enzyme are benign, while the other three-SARS, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-are virulent. RBC aggregation experimentally induced in several animal species using an injected polysaccharide caused most of the same morbidities of severe COVID-19. This glycan biochemistry is key to disentangling controversies that have arisen over the efficacy of certain generic COVID-19 treatment agents and the safety of SP-based COVID-19 vaccines. More broadly, disregard for the active physiological role of RBCs yields unreliable or erroneous reporting of pharmacokinetic parameters as routinely obtained for most drugs and other bioactive agents using detection in plasma, with whole-blood levels being up to 30-fold higher. Appreciation of the active role of RBCs can elucidate the microvascular underpinnings of other health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, and therapeutic opportunities to address them.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E. Scheim
- US Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps, Inactive Reserve, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Peter I. Parry
- Children’s Health Research Clinical Unit, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia;
- Department of Psychiatry, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia
| | - David J. Rabbolini
- Kolling Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW 2064, Australia
| | - Colleen Aldous
- College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa;
| | - Morimasa Yagisawa
- Satoshi Omura Memorial Research Institute, Kitasato University, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
- Louis Pasteur Center for Medical Research, Kyoto 606-8225, Japan
| | - Robert Clancy
- Emeritus Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NE1 7RU, Australia
| | | | - Wendy E. Hoy
- Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4029, Australia
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20
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Naidu AS, Wang CK, Rao P, Mancini F, Clemens RA, Wirakartakusumah A, Chiu HF, Yen CH, Porretta S, Mathai I, Naidu SAG. Precision nutrition to reset virus-induced human metabolic reprogramming and dysregulation (HMRD) in long-COVID. NPJ Sci Food 2024; 8:19. [PMID: 38555403 PMCID: PMC10981760 DOI: 10.1038/s41538-024-00261-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19, is devoid of any metabolic capacity; therefore, it is critical for the viral pathogen to hijack host cellular metabolic machinery for its replication and propagation. This single-stranded RNA virus with a 29.9 kb genome encodes 14 open reading frames (ORFs) and initiates a plethora of virus-host protein-protein interactions in the human body. These extensive viral protein interactions with host-specific cellular targets could trigger severe human metabolic reprogramming/dysregulation (HMRD), a rewiring of sugar-, amino acid-, lipid-, and nucleotide-metabolism(s), as well as altered or impaired bioenergetics, immune dysfunction, and redox imbalance in the body. In the infectious process, the viral pathogen hijacks two major human receptors, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-2 and/or neuropilin (NRP)-1, for initial adhesion to cell surface; then utilizes two major host proteases, TMPRSS2 and/or furin, to gain cellular entry; and finally employs an endosomal enzyme, cathepsin L (CTSL) for fusogenic release of its viral genome. The virus-induced HMRD results in 5 possible infectious outcomes: asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe to fatal episodes; while the symptomatic acute COVID-19 condition could manifest into 3 clinical phases: (i) hypoxia and hypoxemia (Warburg effect), (ii) hyperferritinemia ('cytokine storm'), and (iii) thrombocytosis (coagulopathy). The mean incubation period for COVID-19 onset was estimated to be 5.1 days, and most cases develop symptoms after 14 days. The mean viral clearance times were 24, 30, and 39 days for acute, severe, and ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients, respectively. However, about 25-70% of virus-free COVID-19 survivors continue to sustain virus-induced HMRD and exhibit a wide range of symptoms that are persistent, exacerbated, or new 'onset' clinical incidents, collectively termed as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) or long COVID. PASC patients experience several debilitating clinical condition(s) with >200 different and overlapping symptoms that may last for weeks to months. Chronic PASC is a cumulative outcome of at least 10 different HMRD-related pathophysiological mechanisms involving both virus-derived virulence factors and a multitude of innate host responses. Based on HMRD and virus-free clinical impairments of different human organs/systems, PASC patients can be categorized into 4 different clusters or sub-phenotypes: sub-phenotype-1 (33.8%) with cardiac and renal manifestations; sub-phenotype-2 (32.8%) with respiratory, sleep and anxiety disorders; sub-phenotype-3 (23.4%) with skeleto-muscular and nervous disorders; and sub-phenotype-4 (10.1%) with digestive and pulmonary dysfunctions. This narrative review elucidates the effects of viral hijack on host cellular machinery during SARS-CoV-2 infection, ensuing detrimental effect(s) of virus-induced HMRD on human metabolism, consequential symptomatic clinical implications, and damage to multiple organ systems; as well as chronic pathophysiological sequelae in virus-free PASC patients. We have also provided a few evidence-based, human randomized controlled trial (RCT)-tested, precision nutrients to reset HMRD for health recovery of PASC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Satyanarayan Naidu
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA.
- N-terminus Research Laboratory, 232659 Via del Rio, Yorba Linda, CA, 92887, USA.
| | - Chin-Kun Wang
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- School of Nutrition, Chung Shan Medical University, 110, Section 1, Jianguo North Road, Taichung, 40201, Taiwan
| | - Pingfan Rao
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Fujian Polytechnic Normal University, No.1, Campus New Village, Longjiang Street, Fuqing City, Fujian, China
| | - Fabrizio Mancini
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- President-Emeritus, Parker University, 2540 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, TX, 75229, USA
| | - Roger A Clemens
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- University of Southern California, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy/D. K. Kim International Center for Regulatory & Quality Sciences, 1540 Alcazar St., CHP 140, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Aman Wirakartakusumah
- International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), Guelph, ON, Canada
- IPMI International Business School Jakarta; South East Asian Food and Agriculture Science and Technology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Hui-Fang Chiu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health & Well-being, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Hua Yen
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital; School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Sebastiano Porretta
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- President, Italian Association of Food Technology (AITA), Milan, Italy
- Experimental Station for the Food Preserving Industry, Department of Consumer Science, Viale Tanara 31/a, I-43121, Parma, Italy
| | - Issac Mathai
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- Soukya International Holistic Health Center, Whitefield, Bengaluru, India
| | - Sreus A G Naidu
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- N-terminus Research Laboratory, 232659 Via del Rio, Yorba Linda, CA, 92887, USA
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21
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Sommen SL, Zhao Z, Segtnan S, Stiansen-Sonerud T, Selvakumar J, Beier Havdal L, Gjerstad J, Wyller VBB, Lund Berven L. Bulk RNA sequencing for analysis of post COVID-19 condition in adolescents and young adults. J Transl Med 2024; 22:312. [PMID: 38532465 PMCID: PMC10964710 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05117-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post COVID-19 condition (PCC) is a complication of SARS-COV-2 infection and can lead to long-term disability. METHODS The present study was designed to analyse the gene expression patterns of PCC through bulk RNA sequencing of whole blood and to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of PCC. Whole blood was collected from 80 participants enrolled in a prospective cohort study following SARS-CoV-2 infected and non-infected individuals for 6 months after recruitment and was used for bulk RNA sequencing. Identification of differentially expressed genes (DEG), pathway enrichment and immune cell deconvolution was performed to explore potential biological pathways involved in PCC. RESULTS We have found 13 differentially expressed genes associated with PCC. Enriched pathways were related to interferon-signalling and anti-viral immune processes. CONCLUSION The PCC transcriptome is characterized by a modest overexpression of interferon-stimulated genes, pointing to a subtle ongoing inflammatory response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Lauren Sommen
- Department of Pediatrics, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
- University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Zhi Zhao
- Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Tonje Stiansen-Sonerud
- Department of Pediatrics, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
- Department of Clinical Molecular Biology (EpiGen), University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Joel Selvakumar
- Department of Pediatrics, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lise Beier Havdal
- Department of Pediatrics, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Johannes Gjerstad
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vegard Bruun Bratholm Wyller
- Department of Pediatrics, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lise Lund Berven
- Department of Pediatrics, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.
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22
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Vettori M, Carpenè G, Salvagno GL, Gelati M, Dima F, Celegon G, Favaloro EJ, Lippi G. Effects of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Variants on Platelet Morphology and Activation. Semin Thromb Hemost 2024; 50:275-283. [PMID: 37327884 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1769939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Platelets are central elements of hemostasis and also play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of thrombosis in coronavirus disease 2019. This study was planned to investigate the effects of different severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) recombinant spike protein variants on platelet morphology and activation. Citrated whole blood collected from ostensibly healthy subjects was challenged with saline (control sample) and with 2 and 20 ng/mL final concentration of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein of Ancestral, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. Platelet count was found to be decreased with all SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein variants and concentrations tested, achieving the lowest values with 20 ng/mL Delta recombinant spike protein. The mean platelet volume increased in all samples irrespective of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein variants and concentrations tested, but especially using Delta and Alpha recombinant spike proteins. The values of both platelet function analyzer-200 collagen-adenosine diphosphate and collagen-epinephrine increased in all samples irrespective of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein variants and concentrations tested, and thus reflecting platelet exhaustion, and displaying again higher increases with Delta and Alpha recombinant spike proteins. Most samples where SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike proteins were added were flagged as containing platelet clumps. Morphological analysis revealed the presence of a considerable number of activated platelets, platelet clumps, platelet-monocyte, and platelet-neutrophils aggregates, especially in samples spiked with Alpha and Delta recombinant spike proteins at 20 ng/mL. These results provide support to the evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is capable of activating platelets through its spike protein, though such effect varies depending on different spike protein variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Vettori
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giovanni Carpenè
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Gian Luca Salvagno
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Matteo Gelati
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Francesco Dima
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giovanni Celegon
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Emmanuel J Favaloro
- Department of Haematology, Sydney Centers for Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), NSW Health Pathology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Giuseppe Lippi
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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23
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Kellum CL, Kirkland LG, Nelson TK, Jewett SM, Rytkin E, Efimov IR, Hoover DB, Benson PV, Wagener BM. Sympathetic remodeling and altered angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 localization occur in patients with cardiac disease but are not exacerbated by severe COVID-19. Auton Neurosci 2024; 251:103134. [PMID: 38101169 PMCID: PMC10872860 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2023.103134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Remodeling of sympathetic nerves and ACE2 has been implicated in cardiac pathology, and ACE2 also serves as a receptor for SARS-CoV-2. However, there is limited histological knowledge about the transmural distribution of sympathetic nerves and the cellular localization and distribution of ACE2 in human left ventricles from normal or diseased hearts. Goals of this study were to establish the normal pattern for these parameters and determine changes that occurred in decedents with cardiovascular disease alone compared to those with cardiac pathology and severe COVID-19. METHODS We performed immunohistochemical analysis on sections of left ventricular wall from twenty autopsied human hearts consisting of a control group, a cardiovascular disease group, and COVID-19 ARDS, and COVID-19 non-ARDS groups. RESULTS Using tyrosine hydroxylase as a noradrenergic marker, we found substantial sympathetic nerve loss in cardiovascular disease samples compared to controls. Additionally, we found heterogeneous nerve loss in both COVID-19 groups. Using an ACE2 antibody, we observed robust transmural staining localized to pericytes in the control group. The cardiovascular disease hearts displayed regional loss of ACE2 in pericytes and regional increases in staining of cardiomyocytes for ACE2. Similar changes were observed in both COVID-19 groups. CONCLUSIONS Heterogeneity of sympathetic innervation, which occurs in cardiac disease and is not increased by severe COVID-19, could contribute to arrhythmogenesis. The dominant localization of ACE2 to pericytes suggests that these cells would be the primary target for potential cardiac infection by SARS-CoV-2. Regional changes in ACE2 staining by myocytes and pericytes could have complex effects on cardiac pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Creighton L Kellum
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Logan G Kirkland
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Tasha K Nelson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Seth M Jewett
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Eric Rytkin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Igor R Efimov
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Donald B Hoover
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA; Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Paul V Benson
- Department of Pathology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Brant M Wagener
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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Reinig S, Shih SR. Non-neutralizing functions in anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Biomed J 2024; 47:100666. [PMID: 37778697 PMCID: PMC10825350 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2023.100666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Most individuals infected with or vaccinated against COVID-19 develop antigenic neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Although neutralizing antibodies are biomarkers of the adaptive immune response, their mere presence is insufficient to explain the protection afforded against the disease or its pathology. IgG exhibits other secondary effector functions that activate innate immune components, including complement, natural killer cells, and macrophages. The affinity for effector cells depends on the isotypes and glycosylation of IgG antibodies. The anti-spike IgG titer should be sufficient to provide significant Fc-mediated effects in severe COVID-19, mRNA, and protein subunit vaccinations. In combination with aberrant effector cells, pro-inflammatory afucosylated IgG1 and IgG3 may be detrimental in severe COVID-19. The antibody response of mRNA vaccines leads to higher fucosylation and a less inflammatory IgG profile, with a long-term shift to IgG4, which is correlated with protection from disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Reinig
- Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Shin-Ru Shih
- Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
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25
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Bellone S, Siegel ER, Scheim DE, Santin AD. Increased von Willebrand and Factor VIII plasma levels in gynecologic patients with Post-Acute-COVID-Sequela (PASC)/Long COVID. Gynecol Oncol Rep 2024; 51:101324. [PMID: 38273933 PMCID: PMC10809113 DOI: 10.1016/j.gore.2024.101324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Up to 30 % of COVID-infected patients may develop post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), also known as Long COVID (LC), a syndrome characterized by a variety of debilitating symptoms lasting for more than 3 months after the acute infection. While the pathophysiological mechanisms behind PASC/LC are not completely understood, growing evidence suggests that an important component of this syndrome may be related to persistent microvascular inflammation causing clumping/clotting of red blood cells and platelets and thrombotic complications. We retrospectively evaluated the plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF), Factor VIII and D-dimer in 10 gynecologic patients (60 % with an endometrial or ovarian cancer diagnosis) affected by PASC/LC vs 5 control patients (60 % harboring endometrial or ovarian tumors). We found elevated VWF and Factor VIII levels in all 10 PASC/LC patients (means of 254 % and 229 %, respectively) vs none of the 5 randomly selected cancer control patients (means of 108 % and 95 %, respectively), p = 0.0046 and p < 0.0001, respectively. In contrast, no significant difference was noted in the levels of D-dimer in PASC/LC. Importantly, abnormally elevated VWF and Factor VIII levels were found to persist for at least 2 years in patients with Long COVID symptoms. VWF and Factor VIII but not D-dimer levels are significantly elevated in the plasma of PASC/LC cancer patients. Abnormally and persistently elevated VWF and Factor VIII levels may represent the results of persistent microvascular damage (i.e., spike-induced endotheliosis) and may be biomarkers of persistent inflammation in gynecologic patients with PASC/LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Bellone
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Eric R. Siegel
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - David E. Scheim
- US Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps, Inactive Reserve, Blacksburg, VA 24060-6367, USA
| | - Alessandro D. Santin
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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26
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Mead MN, Seneff S, Wolfinger R, Rose J, Denhaerynck K, Kirsch S, McCullough PA. COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines: Lessons Learned from the Registrational Trials and Global Vaccination Campaign. Cureus 2024; 16:e52876. [PMID: 38274635 PMCID: PMC10810638 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.52876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of COVID-19 vaccinations and their impact on health and mortality has evolved substantially since the first vaccine rollouts. Published reports from the original randomized phase 3 trials concluded that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could greatly reduce COVID-19 symptoms. In the interim, problems with the methods, execution, and reporting of these pivotal trials have emerged. Re-analysis of the Pfizer trial data identified statistically significant increases in serious adverse events (SAEs) in the vaccine group. Numerous SAEs were identified following the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), including death, cancer, cardiac events, and various autoimmune, hematological, reproductive, and neurological disorders. Furthermore, these products never underwent adequate safety and toxicological testing in accordance with previously established scientific standards. Among the other major topics addressed in this narrative review are the published analyses of serious harms to humans, quality control issues and process-related impurities, mechanisms underlying adverse events (AEs), the immunologic basis for vaccine inefficacy, and concerning mortality trends based on the registrational trial data. The risk-benefit imbalance substantiated by the evidence to date contraindicates further booster injections and suggests that, at a minimum, the mRNA injections should be removed from the childhood immunization program until proper safety and toxicological studies are conducted. Federal agency approval of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines on a blanket-coverage population-wide basis had no support from an honest assessment of all relevant registrational data and commensurate consideration of risks versus benefits. Given the extensive, well-documented SAEs and unacceptably high harm-to-reward ratio, we urge governments to endorse a global moratorium on the modified mRNA products until all relevant questions pertaining to causality, residual DNA, and aberrant protein production are answered.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Nathaniel Mead
- Biology and Nutritional Epidemiology, Independent Research, Copper Hill, USA
| | - Stephanie Seneff
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
| | - Russ Wolfinger
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Independent Research, Research Triangle Park, USA
| | - Jessica Rose
- Immunology and Public Health Research, Independent Research, Ottawa, CAN
| | - Kris Denhaerynck
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Independent Research, Basel, CHE
| | - Steve Kirsch
- Data Science, Independent Research, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Peter A McCullough
- Cardiology, Epidemiology, and Public Health, McCullough Foundation, Dallas, USA
- Cardiology, Epidemiology, and Public Health, Truth for Health Foundation, Tucson, USA
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27
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El-Baky NA, Amara AA, Uversky VN, Redwan EM. Intrinsic factors behind long COVID: III. Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and its components. J Cell Biochem 2024; 125:22-44. [PMID: 38098317 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Considerable research has been done in investigating SARS-CoV-2 infection, its characteristics, and host immune response. However, debate is still ongoing over the emergence of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). A multitude of long-lasting symptoms have been reported several weeks after the primary acute SARS-CoV-2 infection that resemble several other viral infections. Thousands of research articles have described various post-COVID-19 conditions. Yet, the evidence around these ongoing health problems, the reasons behind them, and their molecular underpinnings are scarce. These persistent symptoms are also known as long COVID-19. The persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and/or its components in host tissues can lead to long COVID. For example, the presence of viral nucleocapsid protein and RNA was detected in the skin, appendix, and breast tissues of some long COVID patients. The persistence of viral RNA was reported in multiple anatomic sites, including non-respiratory tissues such as the adrenal gland, ocular tissue, small intestine, lymph nodes, myocardium, and sciatic nerve. Distinctive viral spike sequence variants were also found in non-respiratory tissues. Interestingly, prolonged detection of viral subgenomic RNA was observed across all tissues, sometimes in multiple tissues of the same patient, which likely reflects recent but defective viral replication. Moreover, the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was noticed throughout the brain at autopsy, as late as 230 days following symptom onset among unvaccinated patients who died of severe infection. Here, we review the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and its components as an intrinsic factor behind long COVID. We also highlight the immunological consequences of this viral persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawal Abd El-Baky
- Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute (GEBRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab City, Egypt
| | - Amro A Amara
- Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute (GEBRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab City, Egypt
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Elrashdy M Redwan
- Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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28
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Perico L, Benigni A, Remuzzi G. SARS-CoV-2 and the spike protein in endotheliopathy. Trends Microbiol 2024; 32:53-67. [PMID: 37393180 PMCID: PMC10258582 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, primarily affects the epithelial compartment in the upper and lower airways. There is evidence that the microvasculature in both the pulmonary and extrapulmonary systems is a major target of SARS-CoV-2. Consistent with this, vascular dysfunction and thrombosis are the most severe complications in COVID-19. The proinflammatory milieu triggered by the hyperactivation of the immune system by SARS-CoV-2 has been suggested to be the main trigger for endothelial dysfunction during COVID-19. More recently, a rapidly growing number of reports have indicated that SARS-CoV-2 can interact directly with endothelial cells through the spike protein, leading to multiple instances of endothelial dysfunction. Here, we describe all the available findings showing the direct effect of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on endothelial cells and offer mechanistic insights into the molecular basis of vascular dysfunction in severe COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Perico
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Centro Anna Maria Astori, Bergamo, Italy.
| | - Ariela Benigni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Centro Anna Maria Astori, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Remuzzi
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Centro Anna Maria Astori, Bergamo, Italy
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29
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Cosenza LC, Marzaro G, Zurlo M, Gasparello J, Zuccato C, Finotti A, Gambari R. Inhibitory effects of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and BNT162b2 vaccine on erythropoietin-induced globin gene expression in erythroid precursor cells from patients with β-thalassemia. Exp Hematol 2024; 129:104128. [PMID: 37939833 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2023.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
During the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic several patients with β-thalassemia have been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and most patients were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. Recent studies demonstrate an impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the hematopoietic system. The main objective of this study was to verify the effects of exposure of erythroid precursor cells (ErPCs) from patients with β-thalassemia to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S-protein) and the BNT162b2 vaccine. Erythropoietin (EPO)-cultured ErPCs have been either untreated or treated with S-protein or BNT162b2 vaccine. The employed ErPCs were from a β-thalassemia cellular Biobank developed before the COVID-19 pandemic. The genotypes were β+-IVSI-110/β+-IVSI-110 (one patient), β039/β+-IVSI-110 (3 patients), and β039/ β039 (2 patients). After treatment with S-protein or BNT162b2 for 5 days, lysates were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), for hemoglobin production, and isolated RNA was assayed by RT-qPCR, for detection of globin gene expression. The main conclusions of the results obtained are that SARS-CoV-2 S-protein and BNT162b2 vaccine (a) inhibit fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production by β-thalassemic ErPCs and (b) inhibit γ-globin mRNA accumulation. In addition, we have performed in silico studies suggesting a high affinity of S-protein to HbF. Remarkably, the binding interaction energy of fetal hemoglobin to S-protein was comparable with that of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of a relevant impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination on the hematopoietic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Carmela Cosenza
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Marzaro
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Matteo Zurlo
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Jessica Gasparello
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Cristina Zuccato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; Center "Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago" for the Research on Thalassemia, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessia Finotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; Center "Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago" for the Research on Thalassemia, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Roberto Gambari
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; Center "Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago" for the Research on Thalassemia, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
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30
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Peluso MJ, Swank ZN, Goldberg SA, Lu S, Dalhuisen T, Borberg E, Senussi Y, Luna MA, Song CC, Clark A, Zamora A, Lew M, Viswanathan B, Huang B, Anglin K, Hoh R, Hsue PY, Durstenfeld MS, Spinelli MA, Glidden DV, Henrich TJ, Daniel Kelly J, Deeks SG, Walt DR, Martin JN. Plasma-based antigen persistence in the post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.10.24.23297114. [PMID: 37961239 PMCID: PMC10635183 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.24.23297114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Persistent symptoms among some persons who develop COVID-19 has led to the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 may, in some form or location, persist for long periods following acute infection. Several studies have shown data in this regard but are limited by non-representative and small study populations, short duration since acute infection, and lack of a true-negative comparator group to assess assay specificity. METHODS We evaluated adults with RNA-confirmed COVID-19 at multiple time points following acute infection (pandemic-era participants) and adults with specimens collected prior to 2020 (pre-pandemic era). Using once-thawed plasma, we employed the Simoa® (Quanterix) single molecule array detection platform to measure SARS-CoV-2 spike, S1, and nucleocapsid antigens. RESULTS Compared to 250 pre-pandemic participants who had 2% assay positivity, detection of any SARS-CoV-2 antigen was significantly more frequent among 171 pandemic-era participants at three different time periods in the post-acute phase of infection. The absolute difference in SARS-CoV-2 plasma antigen prevalence was +11% (95% CI: +5.0% to +16%) at 3.0-6.0 months post-onset of COVID-19; +8.7% (95% CI: +3.1% to +14%) at 6.1 to 10.0 months; and +5.4% (95% CI: +0.42% to +10%) at 10.1-14.1 months. Hospitalization for acute COVID-19 and, among the non-hospitalized, worse self-reported health during acute COVID-19 were associated with greater post-acute phase antigen detection. CONCLUSIONS Compared to uninfected persons, there is an excess prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antigenemia in SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals up to 14 months after acute COVID-19. These findings motivate an urgent research agenda regarding the short-term and long-term clinical manifestations of this viral persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Peluso
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zoe N. Swank
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sarah A. Goldberg
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Scott Lu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Thomas Dalhuisen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ella Borberg
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yasmeen Senussi
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael A. Luna
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Celina Chang Song
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alexus Clark
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andhy Zamora
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Megan Lew
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Badri Viswanathan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Beatrice Huang
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Khamal Anglin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca Hoh
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Priscila Y. Hsue
- Division of Cardiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Matthew A. Spinelli
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - David V. Glidden
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Timothy J. Henrich
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - J. Daniel Kelly
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Steven G. Deeks
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - David R. Walt
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeffrey N. Martin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Zurlo M, Gasparello J, Verona M, Papi C, Cosenza LC, Finotti A, Marzaro G, Gambari R. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine suppresses mithramycin-induced erythroid differentiation and expression of embryo-fetal globin genes in human erythroleukemia K562 cells. Exp Cell Res 2023; 433:113853. [PMID: 37944576 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2023.113853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causative of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S-protein) plays an important role in the early phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection through efficient interaction with ACE2. The S-protein is produced by RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, that were fundamental for the reduction of the viral spread within the population and the clinical severity of COVID-19. However, the S-protein has been hypothesized to be responsible for damaging cells of several tissues and for some important side effects of RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. Considering the impact of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection on the hematopoietic system, the aim of this study was to verify the effect of the BNT162b2 vaccine on erythroid differentiation of the human K562 cell line, that has been in the past intensively studied as a model system mimicking some steps of erythropoiesis. In this context, we focused on hemoglobin production and induced expression of embryo-fetal globin genes, that are among the most important features of K562 erythroid differentiation. We found that the BNT162b2 vaccine suppresses mithramycin-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. Reverse-transcription-qPCR and Western blotting assays demonstrated that suppression of erythroid differentiation was associated with sharp inhibition of the expression of α-globin and γ-globin mRNA accumulation. Inhibition of accumulation of ζ-globin and ε-globin mRNAs was also observed. In addition, we provide in silico studies suggesting a direct interaction between SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and Hb Portland, that is the major hemoglobin produced by K562 cells. This study thus provides information suggesting the need of great attention on possible alteration of hematopoietic parameters following SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Zurlo
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Jessica Gasparello
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Marco Verona
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Papi
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Lucia Carmela Cosenza
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessia Finotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; Center 'Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago' for the Research on Thalassemia, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Marzaro
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Roberto Gambari
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; Center 'Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago' for the Research on Thalassemia, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
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Fanelli M, Petrone V, Maracchioni C, Chirico R, Cipriani C, Coppola L, Malagnino V, Teti E, Sorace C, Zordan M, Vitale P, Iannetta M, Balestrieri E, Rasi G, Grelli S, Malergue F, Sarmati L, Minutolo A, Matteucci C. Persistence of circulating CD169+monocytes and HLA-DR downregulation underline the immune response impairment in PASC individuals: the potential contribution of different COVID-19 pandemic waves. CURRENT RESEARCH IN MICROBIAL SCIENCES 2023; 6:100215. [PMID: 38187999 PMCID: PMC10767315 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2023.100215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The use of CD169 as a marker of viral infection has been widely discussed in the context of COVID-19, and in particular, its crucial role in the early detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its association with the severity and clinical outcome of COVID-19 were demonstrated. COVID-19 patients show relevant systemic alteration and immunological dysfunction that persists in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). It is critical to implement the characterization of the disease, focusing also on the possible impact of the different COVID-19 waves and the consequent effects found after infection. On this basis, we evaluated by flow cytometry the expression of CD169 and HLA-DR on monocytes from COVID-19 patients and PASC individuals to better elucidate their involvement in immunological dysfunction, also evaluating the possible impact of different pandemic waves. The results confirm CD169 RMFI is a good marker of viral infection. Moreover, COVID-19 patients and PASC individuals showed high percentage of CD169+ monocytes, but low percentage of HLA-DR+ monocytes and the alteration of systemic inflammatory indices. We have also observed alterations of CD169 and HLA-DR expression and indices of inflammation upon different COVID-19 waves. The persistence of specific myeloid subpopulations suggests a role of CD169+ monocytes and HLA-DR in COVID-19 disease and chronic post-infection inflammation, opening new opportunities to evaluate the impact of specific pandemic waves on the immune response impairment and systemic alterations with the perspective to provide new tools to monitoring new variants and diseases associated to emerging respiratory viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marialaura Fanelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Vita Petrone
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Christian Maracchioni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Rossella Chirico
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Chiara Cipriani
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Luigi Coppola
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Malagnino
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Teti
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Chiara Sorace
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Marta Zordan
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Pietro Vitale
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Marco Iannetta
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Emanuela Balestrieri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Guido Rasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Sandro Grelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
- Virology Unit, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Fabrice Malergue
- Global Research Organization, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, Marseille, 13009, France
| | - Loredana Sarmati
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Policlinic of Tor Vergata, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Antonella Minutolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
| | - Claudia Matteucci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1 - 00133, Rome, 00133, Italy
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Kim J, Qiao F, Singh AK, Won J, Singh I. Efficacies of S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) and GSNO reductase inhibitor in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induced acute lung disease in mice. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1304697. [PMID: 38143504 PMCID: PMC10748393 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1304697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which initially surfaced in late 2019, often triggers severe pulmonary complications, encompassing various disease mechanisms such as intense lung inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and pulmonary embolism. Currently, however, there's no drug addressing all these mechanisms simultaneously. This study explored the multi-targeting potential of S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) and N6022, an inhibitor of GSNO reductase (GSNOR) on markers of inflammatory, vascular, and thrombotic diseases related to COVID-19-induced acute lung disease. For this, acute lung disease was induced in C57BL/6 mice through intranasal administration of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S1 domain (SP-S1). The mice exhibited fever, body weight loss, and increased blood levels and lung expression of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α and IL-6) as well as increased vascular inflammation mediated by ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 and lung infiltration by immune cells (e.g., neutrophils, monocytes, and activated cytotoxic and helper T cells). Further, the mice exhibited increased lung hyperpermeability (lung Evans blue extravasation) leading to lung edema development as well as elevated blood coagulation factors (e.g., fibrinogen, thrombin, activated platelets, and von Willebrand factor) and lung fibrin deposition. Similar to the patients with COVID-19, male mice showed more severe disease than female mice, along with higher GSNOR expression in the lungs. Optimization of GSNO by treatment with exogenous GSNO or inhibition of GSNOR by N6022 (or GSNO knockout) protects against SP-S1-induced lung diseases in both genders. These findings provide evidence for the potential efficacies of GSNO and GSNOR inhibitors in addressing the multi-mechanistic nature of SARS-CoV-2 SP-associated acute-lung disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judong Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Fei Qiao
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Avtar K. Singh
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Jeseong Won
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Inderjit Singh
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
- Research Service, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center, Charleston, SC, United States
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Ailioaie LM, Ailioaie C, Litscher G. Gut Microbiota and Mitochondria: Health and Pathophysiological Aspects of Long COVID. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17198. [PMID: 38139027 PMCID: PMC10743487 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The current understanding of long COVID (LC) is still limited. This review highlights key findings regarding the role of gut microbiota, mitochondria, and the main pathophysiological aspects of LC revealed by clinical studies, related to the complex interplay between infection, intestinal dysbiosis, dysfunctional mitochondria, and systemic inflammation generated in a vicious circle, reflecting the molecular and cellular processes from the "leaky gut" to the "leaky electron transport chain (ETC)" into a quantum leap. The heterogeneity of LC has hindered progress in deciphering all the pathophysiological mechanisms, and therefore, the approach must be multidisciplinary, with a special focus not only on symptomatic management but also on addressing the underlying health problems of the patients. It is imperative to further assess and validate the effects of COVID-19 and LC on the gut microbiome and their relationship to infections with other viral agents or pathogens. Further studies are needed to better understand LC and expand the interdisciplinary points of view that are required to accurately diagnose and effectively treat this heterogeneous condition. Given the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to induce autoimmunity in susceptible patients, they should be monitored for symptoms of autoimmune disease after contracting the viral infection. One question remains open, namely, whether the various vaccines developed to end the pandemic will also induce autoimmunity. Recent data highlighted in this review have revealed that the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and dysfunctional mitochondria in organs such as the heart and, to a lesser extent, the kidneys, liver, and lymph nodes, long after the organism has been able to clear the virus from the lungs, could be an explanation for LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Marinela Ailioaie
- Department of Medical Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 11 Carol I Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, Romania; (L.M.A.); (C.A.)
| | - Constantin Ailioaie
- Department of Medical Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 11 Carol I Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, Romania; (L.M.A.); (C.A.)
| | - Gerhard Litscher
- President of the International Society for Medical Laser Applications (ISLA Transcontinental), German Vice President of the German-Chinese Research Foundation (DCFG) for TCM, Honorary President of the European Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies, Honorary Professor of China Beijing International Acupuncture Training Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Former Head of Two Research Units and the TCM Research Center at the Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, 8036 Graz, Austria
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Bellone S, Siegel EE, Santin AD. Increased serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels in gynecologic cancer patients with Post-Acute-Covid-Sequela (PASC)/Long COVID. Gynecol Oncol Rep 2023; 50:101301. [PMID: 38029227 PMCID: PMC10654147 DOI: 10.1016/j.gore.2023.101301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), also known as Long-Covid (LC), may affect 10-30 % of COVID-infected patients, and is characterized by a variety of debilitating symptoms lasting over 3 months after the acute infection, including but not limited to dyspnea, fatigue, and musculoskeletal, cognitive, and/or mental health impairments. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient primarily recognized for its role in regulating calcium and bone health but also endowed with potent anti-inflammatory activity affecting a variety of immune cells. We retrospectively evaluated the plasmatic levels of both 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D (1,25 OH), and 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25 OH), the active and storage forms of vitamin-D3, respectively, in the serum of gynecologic cancer patients affected by PASC/LC vs control cancer patients. We found elevated 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D levels in 5 out of 5 of the PASC/LC patients (mean ± SD = 97.2 ± 26.9 pg/mL) versus 0 out of 10 of randomly selected cancer control patients (44.9 ± 17.2 pg/mL, p = 0.0005). In contrast, no significant difference was noted in the levels of 25-dihydroxyvitamin-D in PASC/LC (mean ± SD = 48.2 ± 15.8 ng/mL) versus controls (43.0 ± 11.6 ng/mL, p = 0.48). Importantly, abnormal levels of vitamin D were found to persist for at least 2 years in patients with long covid symptoms. The active form (1,25OH) but not the storage form (25 OH) of vitamin-D is significantly elevated in PASC/LC cancer patients. Abnormally and persistently elevated 1,25OH levels, similarly to sarcoidosis patients, may represent the results of extrarenal conversion of vitamin D by activated macrophages, and a novel biomarker of persistent inflammation in gynecologic cancer patients with PASC/LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Bellone
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Eric E. Siegel
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Science, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Alessandro D. Santin
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Harte JV, Coleman-Vaughan C, Crowley MP, Mykytiv V. It's in the blood: a review of the hematological system in SARS-CoV-2-associated COVID-19. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 2023; 60:595-624. [PMID: 37439130 DOI: 10.1080/10408363.2023.2232010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an unprecedented global healthcare crisis. While SARS-CoV-2-associated COVID-19 affects primarily the respiratory system, patients with COVID-19 frequently develop extrapulmonary manifestations. Notably, changes in the hematological system, including lymphocytopenia, neutrophilia and significant abnormalities of hemostatic markers, were observed early in the pandemic. Hematological manifestations have since been recognized as important parameters in the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 and in the management of patients with COVID-19. In this narrative review, we summarize the state-of-the-art regarding the hematological and hemostatic abnormalities observed in patients with SARS-CoV-2-associated COVID-19, as well as the current understanding of the hematological system in the pathophysiology of acute and chronic SARS-CoV-2-associated COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- James V Harte
- Department of Haematology, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
- School of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | | | - Maeve P Crowley
- Department of Haematology, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
- Irish Network for Venous Thromboembolism Research (INViTE), Ireland
| | - Vitaliy Mykytiv
- Department of Haematology, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
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37
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Scheim DE, Vottero P, Santin AD, Hirsh AG. Sialylated Glycan Bindings from SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein to Blood and Endothelial Cells Govern the Severe Morbidities of COVID-19. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17039. [PMID: 38069362 PMCID: PMC10871123 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242317039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Consistent with well-established biochemical properties of coronaviruses, sialylated glycan attachments between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP) and host cells are key to the virus's pathology. SARS-CoV-2 SP attaches to and aggregates red blood cells (RBCs), as shown in many pre-clinical and clinical studies, causing pulmonary and extrapulmonary microthrombi and hypoxia in severe COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 SP attachments to the heavily sialylated surfaces of platelets (which, like RBCs, have no ACE2) and endothelial cells (having minimal ACE2) compound this vascular damage. Notably, experimentally induced RBC aggregation in vivo causes the same key morbidities as for severe COVID-19, including microvascular occlusion, blood clots, hypoxia and myocarditis. Key risk factors for COVID-19 morbidity, including older age, diabetes and obesity, are all characterized by markedly increased propensity to RBC clumping. For mammalian species, the degree of clinical susceptibility to COVID-19 correlates to RBC aggregability with p = 0.033. Notably, of the five human betacoronaviruses, the two common cold strains express an enzyme that releases glycan attachments, while the deadly SARS, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS do not, although viral loads for COVID-19 and the two common cold infections are similar. These biochemical insights also explain the previously puzzling clinical efficacy of certain generics against COVID-19 and may support the development of future therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 and long COVID patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Scheim
- US Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps, Inactive Reserve, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Paola Vottero
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada
| | - Alessandro D Santin
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208063, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Hulscher N, Procter BC, Wynn C, McCullough PA. Clinical Approach to Post-acute Sequelae After COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination. Cureus 2023; 15:e49204. [PMID: 38024037 PMCID: PMC10663976 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 has been found to exhibit pathogenic characteristics and be a possible cause of post-acute sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccines utilize a modified, stabilized prefusion spike protein that may share similar toxic effects with its viral counterpart. The aim of this study is to investigate possible mechanisms of harm to biological systems from SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and vaccine-encoded spike protein and to propose possible mitigation strategies. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and 'grey literature' to find studies that (1) investigated the effects of the spike protein on biological systems, (2) helped differentiate between viral and vaccine-generated spike proteins, and (3) identified possible spike protein detoxification protocols and compounds that had signals of benefit and acceptable safety profiles. We found abundant evidence that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein may cause damage in the cardiovascular, hematological, neurological, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and immunological systems. Viral and vaccine-encoded spike proteins have been shown to play a direct role in cardiovascular and thrombotic injuries from both SARS-CoV-2 and vaccination. Detection of spike protein for at least 6-15 months after vaccination and infection in those with post-acute sequelae indicates spike protein as a possible primary contributing factor to long COVID. We rationalized that these findings give support to the potential benefit of spike protein detoxification protocols in those with long-term post-infection and/or vaccine-induced complications. We propose a base spike detoxification protocol, composed of oral nattokinase, bromelain, and curcumin. This approach holds immense promise as a base of clinical care, upon which additional therapeutic agents are applied with the goal of aiding in the resolution of post-acute sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination. Large-scale, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials are warranted in order to determine the relative risks and benefits of the base spike detoxification protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Hulscher
- Epidemiology, Unversity of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, USA
| | | | - Cade Wynn
- Family Medicine, McKinney Family Medicine, McKinney, USA
| | - Peter A McCullough
- Internal Medicine, Cardiology, McKinney Family Medicine, McKinney, USA
- Cardiology, Epidemiology, and Public Health, McCullough Foundation, Dallas, USA
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Nayyerabadi M, Fourcade L, Joshi SA, Chandrasekaran P, Chakravarti A, Massé C, Paul ML, Houle J, Boubekeur AM, DuSablon C, Boudreau V, Bovan D, Darbinian E, Coleman EA, Vinci S, Routy JP, Hétu PO, Poudrier J, Falcone EL. Vaccination after developing long COVID: Impact on clinical presentation, viral persistence, and immune responses. Int J Infect Dis 2023; 136:136-145. [PMID: 37717649 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vaccination protects against severe COVID-19 manifestations. For those with post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC) or long COVID, the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on the evolution of symptoms, immune responses, and viral persistence is unclear. METHODS In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated the number of PCC symptoms, affected organ systems, and psychological well-being scores before and after patients with PCC received COVID-19 vaccination. We simultaneously evaluated biomarkers of systemic inflammation and levels of plasma cytokines/chemokines. We measured plasma and intracellular levels of SARS-CoV-2 antigens, and immunoreactivity to SARS-CoV-2 antigens in blood. RESULTS COVID-19 vaccination was associated with decreases in number of PCC symptoms (pre-vaccination: 6.56 ± 3.1 vs post-vaccination: 3.92 ± 4.02; P <0.001) and affected organ systems (pre-vaccination: 3.19 ± 1.04 vs post-vaccination: 1.89 ± 1.12; P <0.001), and increases in World Health Organization (WHO)-5 Well-Being Index Scores (pre-vaccination: 42.67 ± 22.76 vs post-vaccination: 56.15 ± 22.83; P <0.001). Patients with PCC also had significantly decreased levels of several pro-inflammatory plasma cytokines/chemokines after COVID-19 vaccination including sCD40L, GRO-⍺, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1⍺, interleukin (IL)-12p40, G-colony stimulating factor (CSF), M-CSF, IL-1β, and stem cell factor (SCF). PCC participants presented a certain level of immunoreactivity toward SARS-CoV-2, that was boosted with vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 S1 antigen persisted in the blood of PCC participants, mostly in non-classical monocytes, regardless of participants receiving vaccination. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows higher pro-inflammatory responses associated with PCC symptoms and brings forward a possible role for vaccination in mitigating PCC symptoms by decreasing systemic inflammation. We also observed persistence of viral products independent of vaccination that could be involved in perpetuating inflammation through non-classical monocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Nayyerabadi
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lyvia Fourcade
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Swarali A Joshi
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada; Center for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Arpita Chakravarti
- Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Chantal Massé
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Lorna Paul
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada; Morphocell Technologies Inc., Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Joanie Houle
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Amina M Boubekeur
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Charlotte DuSablon
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Valérie Boudreau
- Center for Cardiometabolic Health, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Danijela Bovan
- Center for Cardiometabolic Health, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Emma Darbinian
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Emilia Aïsha Coleman
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sandra Vinci
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jean-Pierre Routy
- Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Center (MUHC), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Pierre-Olivier Hétu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada; Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Johanne Poudrier
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Emilia Liana Falcone
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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VanElzakker MB, Bues HF, Brusaferri L, Kim M, Saadi D, Ratai EM, Dougherty DD, Loggia ML. Neuroinflammation in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) as assessed by [ 11C]PBR28 PET correlates with vascular disease measures. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.19.563117. [PMID: 37905031 PMCID: PMC10614970 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.19.563117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has triggered a consequential public health crisis of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), sometimes referred to as long COVID. The mechanisms of the heterogeneous persistent symptoms and signs that comprise PASC are under investigation, and several studies have pointed to the central nervous and vascular systems as being potential sites of dysfunction. In the current study, we recruited individuals with PASC with diverse symptoms, and examined the relationship between neuroinflammation and circulating markers of vascular dysfunction. We used [11C]PBR28 PET neuroimaging, a marker of neuroinflammation, to compare 12 PASC individuals versus 43 normative healthy controls. We found significantly increased neuroinflammation in PASC versus controls across a wide swath of brain regions including midcingulate and anterior cingulate cortex, corpus callosum, thalamus, basal ganglia, and at the boundaries of ventricles. We also collected and analyzed peripheral blood plasma from the PASC individuals and found significant positive correlations between neuroinflammation and several circulating analytes related to vascular dysfunction. These results suggest that an interaction between neuroinflammation and vascular health may contribute to common symptoms of PASC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B VanElzakker
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- PolyBio Research Foundation, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Hannah F Bues
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ludovica Brusaferri
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Computer Science And Informatics, School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Minhae Kim
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Deena Saadi
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eva-Maria Ratai
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Darin D Dougherty
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marco L Loggia
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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41
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Proal AD, VanElzakker MB, Aleman S, Bach K, Boribong BP, Buggert M, Cherry S, Chertow DS, Davies HE, Dupont CL, Deeks SG, Eimer W, Ely EW, Fasano A, Freire M, Geng LN, Griffin DE, Henrich TJ, Iwasaki A, Izquierdo-Garcia D, Locci M, Mehandru S, Painter MM, Peluso MJ, Pretorius E, Price DA, Putrino D, Scheuermann RH, Tan GS, Tanzi RE, VanBrocklin HF, Yonker LM, Wherry EJ. SARS-CoV-2 reservoir in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). Nat Immunol 2023; 24:1616-1627. [PMID: 37667052 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01601-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 56.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Millions of people are suffering from Long COVID or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). Several biological factors have emerged as potential drivers of PASC pathology. Some individuals with PASC may not fully clear the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 after acute infection. Instead, replicating virus and/or viral RNA-potentially capable of being translated to produce viral proteins-persist in tissue as a 'reservoir'. This reservoir could modulate host immune responses or release viral proteins into the circulation. Here we review studies that have identified SARS-CoV-2 RNA/protein or immune responses indicative of a SARS-CoV-2 reservoir in PASC samples. Mechanisms by which a SARS-CoV-2 reservoir may contribute to PASC pathology, including coagulation, microbiome and neuroimmune abnormalities, are delineated. We identify research priorities to guide the further study of a SARS-CoV-2 reservoir in PASC, with the goal that clinical trials of antivirals or other therapeutics with potential to clear a SARS-CoV-2 reservoir are accelerated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy D Proal
- PolyBio Research Foundation, Medford, MA, USA.
| | - Michael B VanElzakker
- PolyBio Research Foundation, Medford, MA, USA
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Soo Aleman
- Dept of Infectious Diseases and Unit of Post-Covid Huddinge, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katie Bach
- PolyBio Research Foundation, Medford, MA, USA
- Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Brittany P Boribong
- Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcus Buggert
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Sara Cherry
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, UPENN, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Daniel S Chertow
- Emerging Pathogens Section, Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Helen E Davies
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Llandough, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Steven G Deeks
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - William Eimer
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
- McCance Center for Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - E Wesley Ely
- The Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, Survivorship (CIBS) Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Veteran's Affairs Tennessee Valley Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center (GRECC), Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Alessio Fasano
- Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcelo Freire
- J. Craig Venter Institute Department of Infectious Diseases, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Linda N Geng
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Diane E Griffin
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Timothy J Henrich
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Akiko Iwasaki
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - David Izquierdo-Garcia
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michela Locci
- Institute for Immunology and Immune Health, and Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Saurabh Mehandru
- Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mark M Painter
- Institute for Immunology and Immune Health, and Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael J Peluso
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Etheresia Pretorius
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - David A Price
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
- Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | - David Putrino
- Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard H Scheuermann
- Department of Informatics, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Gene S Tan
- J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rudolph E Tanzi
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
- McCance Center for Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Henry F VanBrocklin
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lael M Yonker
- Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - E John Wherry
- Institute for Immunology and Immune Health, and Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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42
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Herman JD, Atyeo C, Zur Y, Cook CE, Patel NJ, Vanni KM, Kowalski EN, Qian G, Srivatsan S, Shadick NA, Rao DA, Kellman B, Mann CJ, Lauffenburger D, Wallace ZS, Sparks JA, Alter G. Humoral immunity to an endemic coronavirus is associated with postacute sequelae of COVID-19 in individuals with rheumatic diseases. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eadf6598. [PMID: 37672567 PMCID: PMC10764151 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf6598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Beyond the acute illness caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, about one-fifth of infections result in long-term persistence of symptoms despite the apparent clearance of infection. Insights into the mechanisms that underlie postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) will be critical for the prevention and clinical management of long-term complications of COVID-19. Several hypotheses have been proposed that may account for the development of PASC, including persistence of virus and dysregulation of immune responses. Among the immunological changes noted in PASC, alterations in humoral immunity have been observed in some patient subsets. To begin to determine whether SARS-CoV-2- or other pathogen-specific humoral immune responses evolve uniquely in PASC, we performed comprehensive antibody profiling against SARS-CoV-2, a panel of endemic pathogens, and a panel of routine vaccine antigens using systems serology in two cohorts of patients with preexisting systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD) who either developed or did not develop PASC. A distinct qualitative shift observed in Fcγ receptor (FcγR) binding was observed in individuals with PASC. Specifically, individuals with PASC harbored weaker FcγR-binding anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and stronger FcγR-binding antibody responses against the endemic coronavirus OC43. Individuals with PASC developed an OC43 S2-specific antibody response with stronger FcγR binding, linked to cross-reactivity across SARS-CoV-2 and common coronaviruses. These findings identify previous coronavirus imprinting as a potential marker for the development of PASC in individuals with SARDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Herman
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Division of Infectious Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Caroline Atyeo
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Yonatan Zur
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Claire E Cook
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Naomi J Patel
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Kathleen M Vanni
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Emily N Kowalski
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Grace Qian
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shruthi Srivatsan
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Nancy A Shadick
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Deepak A Rao
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Benjamin Kellman
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Colin J Mann
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Douglas Lauffenburger
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Zachary S Wallace
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Sparks
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Galit Alter
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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43
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Peluso MJ, Ryder D, Flavell R, Wang Y, Levi J, LaFranchi BH, Deveau TM, Buck AM, Munter SE, Asare KA, Aslam M, Koch W, Szabo G, Hoh R, Deswal M, Rodriguez A, Buitrago M, Tai V, Shrestha U, Lu S, Goldberg SA, Dalhuisen T, Durstenfeld MS, Hsue PY, Kelly JD, Kumar N, Martin JN, Gambir A, Somsouk M, Seo Y, Deeks SG, Laszik ZG, VanBrocklin HF, Henrich TJ. Multimodal Molecular Imaging Reveals Tissue-Based T Cell Activation and Viral RNA Persistence for Up to 2 Years Following COVID-19. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.07.27.23293177. [PMID: 37577714 PMCID: PMC10418298 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.27.23293177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The etiologic mechanisms of post-acute medical morbidities and unexplained symptoms (Long COVID) following SARS-CoV-2 infection are incompletely understood. There is growing evidence that viral persistence and immune dysregulation may play a major role. We performed whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in a cohort of 24 participants at time points ranging from 27 to 910 days following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection using a novel radiopharmaceutical agent, [18F]F-AraG, a highly selective tracer that allows for anatomical quantitation of activated T lymphocytes. Tracer uptake in the post-acute COVID group, which included those with and without Long COVID symptoms, was significantly higher compared to pre-pandemic controls in many anatomical regions, including the brain stem, spinal cord, bone marrow, nasopharyngeal and hilar lymphoid tissue, cardiopulmonary tissues, and gut wall. Although T cell activation tended to be higher in participants imaged closer to the time of the acute illness, tracer uptake was increased in participants imaged up to 2.5 years following SARS-CoV-2 infection. We observed that T cell activation in spinal cord and gut wall was associated with the presence of Long COVID symptoms. In addition, tracer uptake in lung tissue was higher in those with persistent pulmonary symptoms. Notably, increased T cell activation in these tissues was also observed in many individuals without Long COVID. Given the high [18F]F-AraG uptake detected in the gut, we obtained colorectal tissue for in situ hybridization SARS-CoV-2 RNA and immunohistochemical studies in a subset of participants with Long COVID symptoms. We identified cellular SARS-CoV-2 RNA in rectosigmoid lamina propria tissue in all these participants, ranging from 158 to 676 days following initial COVID-19 illness, suggesting that tissue viral persistence could be associated with long-term immunological perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Peluso
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Dylan Ryder
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California San Francisco
| | - Robert Flavell
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco
| | - Yingbing Wang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco
| | | | - Brian H. LaFranchi
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California San Francisco
| | - Tyler-Marie Deveau
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California San Francisco
| | - Amanda M. Buck
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California San Francisco
| | - Sadie E. Munter
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California San Francisco
| | - Kofi A. Asare
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California San Francisco
| | - Maya Aslam
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco
| | - Wally Koch
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco
| | - Gyula Szabo
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco
| | - Rebecca Hoh
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Monika Deswal
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Antonio Rodriguez
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Melissa Buitrago
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Viva Tai
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Uttam Shrestha
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco
| | - Scott Lu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco
| | - Sarah A. Goldberg
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco
| | - Thomas Dalhuisen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco
| | | | | | - J. Daniel Kelly
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco
| | - Nitasha Kumar
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Jeffrey N. Martin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco
| | | | - Ma Somsouk
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California San Francisco
| | - Youngho Seo
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco
| | - Steven G. Deeks
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | | | - Henry F. VanBrocklin
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco
| | - Timothy J. Henrich
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California San Francisco
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44
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Vottero P, Tavernini S, Santin AD, Scheim DE, Tuszynski JA, Aminpour M. Computational Prediction of the Interaction of Ivermectin with Fibrinogen. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11449. [PMID: 37511206 PMCID: PMC10380762 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypercoagulability and formation of extensive and difficult-to-lyse microclots are a hallmark of both acute COVID-19 and long COVID. Fibrinogen, when converted to fibrin, is responsible for clot formation, but abnormal structural and mechanical clot properties can lead to pathologic thrombosis. Recent experimental evidence suggests that the spike protein (SP) from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may directly bind to the blood coagulation factor fibrinogen and induce structurally abnormal blood clots with heightened proinflammatory activity. Accordingly, in this study, we used molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations to explore the potential activity of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin (IVM) to prevent the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 SP to fibrinogen and reduce the occurrence of microclots. Our computational results indicate that IVM may bind with high affinity to multiple sites on the fibrinogen peptide, with binding more likely in the central, E region, and in the coiled-coil region, as opposed to the globular D region. Taken together, our in silico results suggest that IVM may interfere with SP-fibrinogen binding and, potentially, decrease the formation of fibrin clots resistant to degradation. Additional in vitro studies are warranted to validate whether IVM binding to fibrinogen is sufficiently stable to prevent interaction with the SP, and potentially reduce its thrombo-inflammatory effect in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Vottero
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada; (P.V.); (M.A.)
| | - Scott Tavernini
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada;
| | - Alessandro D. Santin
- Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208063, New Haven, CT 06520-8063, USA;
| | - David E. Scheim
- US Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps, Inactive Reserve, Blacksburg, VA 24060-6367, USA;
| | - Jack A. Tuszynski
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada
- DIMEAS, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy
- Department of Data Science and Engineering, The Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | - Maral Aminpour
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada; (P.V.); (M.A.)
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45
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Ailioaie LM, Ailioaie C, Litscher G. Infection, Dysbiosis and Inflammation Interplay in the COVID Era in Children. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10874. [PMID: 37446047 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
For over three years, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in children and adolescents has generated repercussions, especially a few weeks after infection, for symptomatic patients who tested positive, for asymptomatic ones, or even just the contacts of an infected person, and evolved from severe forms such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) to multifarious clinical manifestations in long COVID (LC). Referred to under the umbrella term LC, the onset of persistent and highly heterogeneous symptoms such as fatigue, post-exertion malaise, cognitive dysfunction, and others have a major impact on the child's daily quality of life for months. The first aim of this review was to highlight the circumstances of the pathophysiological changes produced by COVID-19 in children and to better understand the hyperinflammation in COVID-19 and how MIS-C, as a life-threatening condition, could have been avoided in some patients. Another goal was to better identify the interplay between infection, dysbiosis, and inflammation at a molecular and cellular level, to better guide scientists, physicians, and pediatricians to advance new lines of medical action to avoid the post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The third objective was to identify symptoms and their connection to molecular pathways to recognize LC more easily. The fourth purpose was to connect the triggering factors of LC with related sequelae following acute SARS-CoV-2 injuries to systems and organs, the persistence of the virus, and some of its components in hidden reservoirs, including the gut and the central nervous system. The reactivation of other latent infectious agents in the host's immune environments, the interaction of this virus with the microbiome, immune hyperactivation, and autoimmunity generated by molecular mimicry between viral agents and host proteins, could initiate a targeted and individualized management. New high-tech solutions, molecules, probiotics, and others should be discovered to innovatively solve the interplay between RNA persistent viruses, microbiota, and our immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Marinela Ailioaie
- Department of Medical Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 11 Carol I Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Constantin Ailioaie
- Department of Medical Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 11 Carol I Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Gerhard Litscher
- President of the International Society for Medical Laser Applications (ISLA Transcontinental), German Vice President of the German-Chinese Research Foundation (DCFG) for TCM, Honorary President of the European Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies, 8053 Graz, Austria
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46
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Volpe BT. Infectious viral encephalitis in the time of an epidemic. Curr Opin Neurol 2023; 36:165-167. [PMID: 37139792 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000001157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bruce T Volpe
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institute, Hofstra University School of Medicine, Northwell Health, Manhasset, New York, USA
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47
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Vettori M, Dima F, Henry BM, Carpenè G, Gelati M, Celegon G, Salvagno GL, Lippi G. Effects of Different Types of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein on Circulating Monocytes' Structure. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119373. [PMID: 37298324 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the biological effects on circulating monocytes after challenge with SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein. Whole blood collected from seven ostensibly healthy healthcare workers was incubated for 15 min with 2 and 20 ng/mL final concentration of recombinant spike protein of Ancestral, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. Samples were analyzed with Sysmex XN and DI-60 analyzers. Cellular complexity (i.e., the presence of granules, vacuoles and other cytoplasmic inclusions) increased in all samples challenged with the recombinant spike protein of the Ancestral, Alpha, and Delta variants, but not in those containing Omicron. The cellular content of nucleic acids was constantly decreased in most samples, achieving statistical significance in those containing 20 ng/mL of Alpha and Delta recombinant spike proteins. The heterogeneity of monocyte volumes significantly increased in all samples, achieving statistical significance in those containing 20 ng/mL of recombinant spike protein of the Ancestral, Alpha and Delta variants. The monocyte morphological abnormalities after spike protein challenge included dysmorphia, granulation, intense vacuolization, platelet phagocytosis, development of aberrant nuclei, and cytoplasmic extrusions. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein triggers important monocyte morphological abnormalities, more evident in cells challenged with recombinant spike protein of the more clinically severe Alpha and Delta variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Vettori
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | - Francesco Dima
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | - Brandon Michael Henry
- Clinical Laboratory, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Giovanni Carpenè
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | - Matteo Gelati
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | - Giovanni Celegon
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | - Gian Luca Salvagno
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Lippi
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
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48
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Yang C, Zhao H, Espín E, Tebbutt SJ. Association of SARS-CoV-2 infection and persistence with long COVID. THE LANCET. RESPIRATORY MEDICINE 2023:S2213-2600(23)00142-X. [PMID: 37178694 PMCID: PMC10171832 DOI: 10.1016/s2213-2600(23)00142-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Chengliang Yang
- Prevention of Organ Failure Centre of Excellence, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Providence Research, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | - Hedi Zhao
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Estefanía Espín
- Prevention of Organ Failure Centre of Excellence, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Providence Research, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Scott J Tebbutt
- Prevention of Organ Failure Centre of Excellence, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Providence Research, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada.
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49
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Chen B, Julg B, Mohandas S, Bradfute SB. Viral persistence, reactivation, and mechanisms of long COVID. eLife 2023; 12:e86015. [PMID: 37140960 PMCID: PMC10159620 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86015;] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 global pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has infected hundreds of millions of individuals. Following COVID-19 infection, a subset can develop a wide range of chronic symptoms affecting diverse organ systems referred to as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also known as long COVID. A National Institutes of Health-sponsored initiative, RECOVER: Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery, has sought to understand the basis of long COVID in a large cohort. Given the range of symptoms that occur in long COVID, the mechanisms that may underlie these diverse symptoms may also be diverse. In this review, we focus on the emerging literature supporting the role(s) that viral persistence or reactivation of viruses may play in PASC. Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigens is reported in some organs, yet the mechanism by which they do so and how they may be associated with pathogenic immune responses is unclear. Understanding the mechanisms of persistence of RNA, antigen or other reactivated viruses and how they may relate to specific inflammatory responses that drive symptoms of PASC may provide a rationale for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Chen
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUnited States
| | - Boris Julg
- Infectious Diseases Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and HarvardBostonUnited States
| | - Sindhu Mohandas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Steven B Bradfute
- Center for Global Health, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences CenterAlbuquerqueUnited States
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Chen B, Julg B, Mohandas S, Bradfute SB. Viral persistence, reactivation, and mechanisms of long COVID. eLife 2023; 12:e86015. [PMID: 37140960 PMCID: PMC10159620 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 global pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has infected hundreds of millions of individuals. Following COVID-19 infection, a subset can develop a wide range of chronic symptoms affecting diverse organ systems referred to as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also known as long COVID. A National Institutes of Health-sponsored initiative, RECOVER: Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery, has sought to understand the basis of long COVID in a large cohort. Given the range of symptoms that occur in long COVID, the mechanisms that may underlie these diverse symptoms may also be diverse. In this review, we focus on the emerging literature supporting the role(s) that viral persistence or reactivation of viruses may play in PASC. Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigens is reported in some organs, yet the mechanism by which they do so and how they may be associated with pathogenic immune responses is unclear. Understanding the mechanisms of persistence of RNA, antigen or other reactivated viruses and how they may relate to specific inflammatory responses that drive symptoms of PASC may provide a rationale for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Chen
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUnited States
| | - Boris Julg
- Infectious Diseases Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and HarvardBostonUnited States
| | - Sindhu Mohandas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Steven B Bradfute
- Center for Global Health, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences CenterAlbuquerqueUnited States
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