1
|
Siska PJ, Decking SM, Babl N, Matos C, Bruss C, Singer K, Klitzke J, Schön M, Simeth J, Köstler J, Siegmund H, Ugele I, Paulus M, Dietl A, Kolodova K, Steines L, Freitag K, Peuker A, Schönhammer G, Raithel J, Graf B, Geismann F, Lubnow M, Mack M, Hau P, Bohr C, Burkhardt R, Gessner A, Salzberger B, Wagner R, Hanses F, Hitzenbichler F, Heudobler D, Lüke F, Pukrop T, Herr W, Wolff D, Spang R, Poeck H, Hoffmann P, Jantsch J, Brochhausen C, Lunz D, Rehli M, Kreutz M, Renner K. Metabolic imbalance of T cells in COVID-19 is hallmarked by basigin and mitigated by dexamethasone. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:148225. [PMID: 34779418 DOI: 10.1172/jci148225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic pathways regulate immune responses and disrupted metabolism leads to immune dysfunction and disease. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is driven by imbalanced immune responses, yet the role of immunometabolism in COVID-19 pathogenesis remains unclear. By investigating 87 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, 6 critically ill non-COVID-19 patients, and 47 uninfected controls, we found an immunometabolic dysregulation in patients with progressed COVID-19. Specifically, T cells, monocytes, and granulocytes exhibited increased mitochondrial mass, yet only T cells accumulated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), were metabolically quiescent, and showed a disrupted mitochondrial architecture. During recovery, T cell ROS decreased to match the uninfected controls. Transcriptionally, T cells from severe/critical COVID-19 patients showed an induction of ROS-responsive genes as well as genes related to mitochondrial function and the basigin network. Basigin (CD147) ligands cyclophilin A and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein triggered ROS production in T cells in vitro. In line with this, only PCR-positive patients showed increased ROS levels. Dexamethasone treatment resulted in a downregulation of ROS in vitro and T cells from dexamethasone-treated patients exhibited low ROS and basigin levels. This was reflected by changes in the transcriptional landscape. Our findings provide evidence of an immunometabolic dysregulation in COVID-19 that can be mitigated by dexamethasone treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Siska
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sonja-Maria Decking
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Nathalie Babl
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Carina Matos
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christina Bruss
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katrin Singer
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg
| | - Jana Klitzke
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Marian Schön
- Department of Statistical Bioinformatics, Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jakob Simeth
- Department of Statistical Bioinformatics, Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Josef Köstler
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Heiko Siegmund
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Central Biobank Regensburg, University Hospital and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ines Ugele
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg
| | | | | | - Kristina Kolodova
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Katharina Freitag
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Alice Peuker
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gabriele Schönhammer
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Johanna Raithel
- Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Peter Hau
- Wilhelm Sander-NeuroOncology Unit and Department of Neurology
| | - Christopher Bohr
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg
| | | | - Andre Gessner
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Ralf Wagner
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Frank Hanses
- Department of Infection Prevention and Infectious Diseases, and.,Emergency Department, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Daniel Heudobler
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Bavarian Cancer Research Center, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Florian Lüke
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Pukrop
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Bavarian Cancer Research Center, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Herr
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Wolff
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Rainer Spang
- Department of Statistical Bioinformatics, Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Hendrik Poeck
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Petra Hoffmann
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jonathan Jantsch
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Brochhausen
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Central Biobank Regensburg, University Hospital and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Michael Rehli
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Marina Kreutz
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Renner
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|