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Wang M, Chang W, Zhang L, Zhang Y. Pyroptotic cell death in SARS-CoV-2 infection: revealing its roles during the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19. Int J Biol Sci 2022; 18:5827-5848. [PMID: 36263178 PMCID: PMC9576507 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.77561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid dissemination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), remains a global public health emergency. The host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 plays a key role in COVID-19 pathogenesis. SARS-CoV-2 can induce aberrant and excessive immune responses, leading to cytokine storm syndrome, autoimmunity, lymphopenia, neutrophilia and dysfunction of monocytes and macrophages. Pyroptosis, a proinflammatory form of programmed cell death, acts as a host defense mechanism against infections. Pyroptosis deprives the replicative niche of SARS-CoV-2 by inducing the lysis of infected cells and exposing the virus to extracellular immune attack. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 has evolved sophisticated mechanisms to hijack this cell death mode for its own survival, propagation and shedding. SARS-CoV-2-encoded viral products act to modulate various key components in the pyroptosis pathways, including inflammasomes, caspases and gasdermins. SARS-CoV-2-induced pyroptosis contriubtes to the development of COVID-19-associated immunopathologies through leakage of intracellular contents, disruption of immune system homeostasis or exacerbation of inflammation. Therefore, pyroptosis has emerged as an important mechanism involved in COVID-19 immunopathogenesis. However, the entangled links between pyroptosis and SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis lack systematic clarification. In this review, we briefly summarize the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19-related immunopathologies. Moreover, we present an overview of the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 infection and pyroptosis and highlight recent research advances in the understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the implication of the pyroptosis pathways in COVID-19 pathogenesis, which will provide informative inspirations and new directions for further investigation and clinical practice. Finally, we discuss the potential value of pyroptosis as a therapeutic target in COVID-19. An in-depth discussion of the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 pathogenesis will be conducive to the identification of potential therapeutic targets and the exploration of effective treatment measures aimed at conquering SARS-CoV-2-induced COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Wang
- ✉ Corresponding author: Man Wang, Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, College of Medicine, Qingdao University, 38 Dengzhou Road, Qingdao 266021, China. Tel.: +86-532-82991791; E-mail address:
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Spracklen TF, Mendelsohn SC, Butters C, Facey-Thomas H, Stander R, Abrahams D, Erasmus M, Baguma R, Day J, Scott C, Zühlke LJ, Kassiotis G, Scriba TJ, Webb K. IL27 gene expression distinguishes multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children from febrile illness in a South African cohort. Front Immunol 2022; 13:992022. [PMID: 36148243 PMCID: PMC9486543 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.992022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a severe acute inflammatory reaction to SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. There is a lack of data describing differential expression of immune genes in MIS-C compared to healthy children or those with other inflammatory conditions and how expression changes over time. In this study, we investigated expression of immune-related genes in South African MIS-C patients and controls. Methods The cohort included 30 pre-treatment MIS-C cases and 54 healthy non-inflammatory paediatric controls. Other controls included 34 patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus, Kawasaki disease or other inflammatory conditions. Longitudinal post-treatment MIS-C specimens were available at various timepoints. Expression of 80 immune-related genes was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. Results A total of 29 differentially expressed genes were identified in pre-treatment MIS-C compared to healthy controls. Up-regulated genes were found to be overrepresented in innate immune pathways including interleukin-1 processing and pyroptosis. Post-treatment follow-up data were available for up to 1,200 hours after first treatment. All down-regulated genes and 17/18 up-regulated genes resolved to normal levels in the timeframe, and all patients clinically recovered. When comparing MIS-C to other febrile conditions, only IL27 expression could differentiate these two groups with high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions These data indicate a unique 29-gene signature of MIS-C in South African children. The up-regulation of interleukin-1 and pyroptosis pathway genes highlights the role of the innate immune system in MIS-C. IL-27 is a potent anti-inflammatory and antiviral cytokine that may distinguish MIS-C from other conditions in our setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy F Spracklen
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Cape Heart Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Simon C Mendelsohn
- South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Claire Butters
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Division of Immunology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Heidi Facey-Thomas
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Raphaella Stander
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Debbie Abrahams
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mzwandile Erasmus
- South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Richard Baguma
- South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jonathan Day
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Christiaan Scott
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Liesl J Zühlke
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Cape Heart Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - George Kassiotis
- Retroviral Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Infectious Disease, St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas J Scriba
- South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kate Webb
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Crick African Network, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
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