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Falcón-Cama V, Montero-González T, Acosta-Medina EF, Guillen-Nieto G, Berlanga-Acosta J, Fernández-Ortega C, Alfonso-Falcón A, Gilva-Rodríguez N, López-Nocedo L, Cremata-García D, Matos-Terrero M, Pentón-Rol G, Valdés I, Oramas-Díaz L, Suarez-Batista A, Noa-Romero E, Cruz-Sui O, Sánchez D, Borrego-Díaz AI, Valdés-Carreras JE, Vizcaino A, Suárez-Alba J, Valdés-Véliz R, Bergado G, González MA, Hernandez T, Alvarez-Arzola R, Ramírez-Suárez AC, Casillas-Casanova D, Lemos-Pérez G, Blanco-Águila OR, Díaz A, González Y, Bequet-Romero M, Marín-Prida J, Hernández-Perera JC, Del Rosario-Cruz L, Marin-Díaz AP, González-Bravo M, Borrajero I, Acosta-Rivero N. Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in postmortem lung, kidney, and liver samples, revealing cellular targets involved in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Arch Virol 2023; 168:96. [PMID: 36842152 PMCID: PMC9968404 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-023-05711-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
There is an urgent need to understand severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-host interactions involved in virus spread and pathogenesis, which might contribute to the identification of new therapeutic targets. In this study, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in postmortem lung, kidney, and liver samples of patients who died with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its relationship with host factors involved in virus spread and pathogenesis, using microscopy-based methods. The cases analyzed showed advanced stages of diffuse acute alveolar damage and fibrosis. We identified the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (NC) in a variety of cells, colocalizing with mitochondrial proteins, lipid droplets (LDs), and key host proteins that have been implicated in inflammation, tissue repair, and the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle (vimentin, NLRP3, fibronectin, LC3B, DDX3X, and PPARγ), pointing to vimentin and LDs as platforms involved not only in the viral life cycle but also in inflammation and pathogenesis. SARS-CoV-2 isolated from a patient´s nasal swab was grown in cell culture and used to infect hamsters. Target cells identified in human tissue samples included lung epithelial and endothelial cells; lipogenic fibroblast-like cells (FLCs) showing features of lipofibroblasts such as activated PPARγ signaling and LDs; lung FLCs expressing fibronectin and vimentin and macrophages, both with evidence of NLRP3- and IL1β-induced responses; regulatory cells expressing immune-checkpoint proteins involved in lung repair responses and contributing to inflammatory responses in the lung; CD34+ liver endothelial cells and hepatocytes expressing vimentin; renal interstitial cells; and the juxtaglomerular apparatus. This suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may directly interfere with critical lung, renal, and liver functions involved in COVID-19-pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Falcón-Cama
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba. .,Latin American School of Medicine, Calle Panamericana Km 3 1/2, Playa, 11600, Havana, Cuba.
| | | | - Emilio F Acosta-Medina
- Center for Advanced Studies of Cuba, Havana, Cuba. .,Latin American School of Medicine, Calle Panamericana Km 3 1/2, Playa, 11600, Havana, Cuba.
| | - Gerardo Guillen-Nieto
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba.,Latin American School of Medicine, Calle Panamericana Km 3 1/2, Playa, 11600, Havana, Cuba
| | - Jorge Berlanga-Acosta
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba.,Latin American School of Medicine, Calle Panamericana Km 3 1/2, Playa, 11600, Havana, Cuba
| | - Celia Fernández-Ortega
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba.,Latin American School of Medicine, Calle Panamericana Km 3 1/2, Playa, 11600, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Nathalie Gilva-Rodríguez
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Lilianne López-Nocedo
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Daina Cremata-García
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Mariuska Matos-Terrero
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Giselle Pentón-Rol
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba.,Latin American School of Medicine, Calle Panamericana Km 3 1/2, Playa, 11600, Havana, Cuba
| | - Iris Valdés
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Leonardo Oramas-Díaz
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Anamarys Suarez-Batista
- Department of Virology, Civilian Defense Scientific Research Center (CICDC), Havana, Mayabeque, Cuba
| | - Enrique Noa-Romero
- Department of Virology, Civilian Defense Scientific Research Center (CICDC), Havana, Mayabeque, Cuba
| | - Otto Cruz-Sui
- Department of Virology, Civilian Defense Scientific Research Center (CICDC), Havana, Mayabeque, Cuba
| | | | | | | | | | - José Suárez-Alba
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Rodolfo Valdés-Véliz
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Gretchen Bergado
- Direction of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center of Molecular Immunology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Miguel A González
- Direction of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center of Molecular Immunology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Tays Hernandez
- Direction of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center of Molecular Immunology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Rydell Alvarez-Arzola
- Direction of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center of Molecular Immunology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Anna C Ramírez-Suárez
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Dionne Casillas-Casanova
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Gilda Lemos-Pérez
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | | | | | | | - Mónica Bequet-Romero
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Ave 31 be/ 158 and 190, Cubanacán, Playa, PO Box 6162, 10699, Havana, Cuba
| | - Javier Marín-Prida
- Center for Research and Biological Evaluations, Institute of Pharmacy and Food, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
| | | | | | - Alina P Marin-Díaz
- International Orthopedic Scientific Complex 'Frank Pais Garcia', Havana, Cuba
| | - Maritza González-Bravo
- Latin American School of Medicine, Calle Panamericana Km 3 1/2, Playa, 11600, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Nelson Acosta-Rivero
- Center for Protein Studies, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Habana, Calle 25 entre J e I, #455, Plaza de la Revolucion, 10400, Havana, Cuba. .,Department of Infectious Diseases, Centre for Integrative Infectious Disease Research (CIID), Molecular Virology, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, INF 344, GO.1, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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