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Hultgren NW, Petcherski A, Torriano S, Komirisetty R, Sharma M, Zhou T, Burgess BL, Ngo J, Osto C, Shabane B, Shirihai OS, Kelesidis T, Williams DS. Productive infection of the retinal pigment epithelium by SARS-CoV-2: Initial effects and consideration of long-term consequences. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae500. [PMID: 39712068 PMCID: PMC11660945 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2024] [Accepted: 10/14/2024] [Indexed: 12/24/2024]
Abstract
As the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to evolve and infect the global population, many individuals are likely to suffer from post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). Manifestations of PASC include vision symptoms, but little is known about the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to infect and impact the retinal cells. Here, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 can infect and perturb the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in vivo, after intranasal inoculation of a transgenic mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in cell culture. Separate lentiviral studies showed that SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein mediates viral entry and replication in RPE cells, while the Envelope and ORF3a proteins induce morphological changes. Infection with major variants of SARS-CoV-2 compromised the RPE barrier function and phagocytic capacity. It also caused complement activation and production of cytokines and chemokines, resulting in an inflammatory response that spread across the RPE layer. This inflammatory signature has similarities to that associated with the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of human blindness, resulting from RPE pathology that eventually leads to photoreceptor cell loss. Thus, our findings suggest that post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection of the RPE may have long-term implications for vision, perhaps comparable to the increased occurrence of AMD found among individuals infected by HIV, but with greater public health consequences due to the much larger number of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan W Hultgren
- Department of Ophthalmology and Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Anton Petcherski
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Simona Torriano
- Department of Ophthalmology and Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ravikiran Komirisetty
- Department of Ophthalmology and Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Madhav Sharma
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Tianli Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology and Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Barry L Burgess
- Department of Ophthalmology and Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jennifer Ngo
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Corey Osto
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Byourak Shabane
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Orian S Shirihai
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Theodoros Kelesidis
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - David S Williams
- Department of Ophthalmology and Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine; Molecular Biology Institute; Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Sezgin E, Schneider MF, Hunt PW, Beck-Engeser G, Ambayac GC, Jabs DA. Genetic factors associated with age-related macular degeneration modulating plasma inflammatory biomarker levels in patients with AIDS. Ophthalmic Genet 2024; 45:337-342. [PMID: 38526161 PMCID: PMC11387137 DOI: 10.1080/13816810.2024.2330380] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have an increased prevalence and incidence of intermediate-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Several elevated plasma inflammatory biomarkers are associated with increased incidence of intermediate-stage AMD in this population. We evaluated the association between AMD risk alleles and plasma inflammatory biomarker levels in persons with AIDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cryopreserved plasma specimens of 229 non-Hispanic White and 252 non-Hispanic blacks from the Longitudinal Study of the Ocular Complications of AIDS cohort were assayed for plasma levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNFR) 2, interleukin (IL)-18, C × 3motif chemokine ligand 1 (CX3CL1), C-reactive protein (CRP), and soluble CD14 (sCD14). Genotyping included AMD-associated variants rs10801553 and rs800292 for complement factor H (CFH) rs9332739 and rs547154 for complement factor 2 (C2), rs2230199 for C3, rs2285714 for CFI, and rs3732379 and rs3732378 for C × 3motif chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1). RESULTS In Whites, AMD low-risk CX3CR1 variants (V249I and T280M) were associated with reduced plasma levels of IL-18. In Blacks, AMD low-risk C3 R102G and low-risk CX3CR1 T280M variants were associated with reduced CRP levels. CONCLUSIONS Genetic variants in AMD-associated immune genes may influence AMD-associated systemic plasma inflammatory biomarker levels in patients with AIDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efe Sezgin
- Department of Food Engineering, İzmir İnstitute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Michael F Schneider
- Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter W Hunt
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Gabriele Beck-Engeser
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Gabriele C Ambayac
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Douglas A Jabs
- Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- The Wilmer Eye Institute, The Department of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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