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Subramaniam S, Kenney D, Jayaraman A, O’Connell AK, Walachowski S, Montanaro P, Reinhardt C, Colucci G, Crossland NA, Douam F, Bosmann M. Aging is associated with an insufficient early inflammatory response of lung endothelial cells in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1397990. [PMID: 38911865 PMCID: PMC11190167 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1397990] [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: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Advanced age is associated with an increased susceptibility to Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19 and more severe outcomes, although the underlying mechanisms are understudied. The lung endothelium is located next to infected epithelial cells and bystander inflammation may contribute to thromboinflammation and COVID-19-associated coagulopathy. Here, we investigated age-associated SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and endothelial inflammatory responses using humanized K18-hACE2 mice. Survival was reduced to 20% in aged mice (85-112 weeks) versus 50% in young mice (12-15 weeks) at 10 days post infection (dpi). Bulk RNA-sequencing of endothelial cells from mock and infected mice at 2dpi of both age groups (aged: 72-85 weeks; young: 15 weeks) showed substantially lower significant differentially regulated genes in infected aged mice than in young mice (712 versus 2294 genes). Viral recognition and anti-viral pathways such as RIG-I-like receptor signaling, NOD-like receptor signaling and interferon signaling were regulated in response to SARS-CoV-2. Young mice showed several fold higher interferon responses (Ifitm3, Ifit1, Isg15, Stat1) and interferon-induced chemokines (Cxcl10 and Cxcl11) than aged mice. Endothelial cells from infected young mice displayed elevated expression of chemokines (Cxcl9, Ccl2) and leukocyte adhesion markers (Icam1) underscoring that inflammation of lung endothelium during infection could facilitate leukocyte adhesion and thromboinflammation. TREM1 and acute phase response signaling were particularly prominent in endothelial cells from infected young mice. Immunohistochemistry was unable to detect viral protein in pulmonary endothelium. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that the early host response of the endothelium to SARS-CoV-2 infection declines with aging, which could be a potential contributor to disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saravanan Subramaniam
- Pulmonary Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Devin Kenney
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Archana Jayaraman
- Pulmonary Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Aoife Kateri O’Connell
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sarah Walachowski
- Pulmonary Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Paige Montanaro
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Christoph Reinhardt
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Mainz, Germany
| | - Giuseppe Colucci
- Outer Corelab, Viollier AG, Allschwil, Switzerland
- Department of Hematology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas A. Crossland
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Florian Douam
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Markus Bosmann
- Pulmonary Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
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Ellsworth CR, Wang C, Katz AR, Chen Z, Islamuddin M, Yang H, Scheuermann SE, Goff KA, Maness NJ, Blair RV, Kolls JK, Qin X. Natural Killer Cells Do Not Attenuate a Mouse-Adapted SARS-CoV-2-Induced Disease in Rag2-/- Mice. Viruses 2024; 16:611. [PMID: 38675952 PMCID: PMC11054502 DOI: 10.3390/v16040611] [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: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the roles of T, B, and Natural Killer (NK) cells in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19, utilizing mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2-MA30 (MA30). To evaluate this MA30 mouse model, we characterized MA30-infected C57BL/6 mice (B6) and compared them with SARS-CoV-2-WA1 (an original SARS-CoV-2 strain) infected K18-human ACE2 (K18-hACE2) mice. We found that the infected B6 mice developed severe peribronchial inflammation and rapid severe pulmonary edema, but less lung interstitial inflammation than the infected K18-hACE2 mice. These pathological findings recapitulate some pathological changes seen in severe COVID-19 patients. Using this MA30-infected mouse model, we further demonstrate that T and/or B cells are essential in mounting an effective immune response against SARS-CoV-2. This was evident as Rag2-/- showed heightened vulnerability to infection and inhibited viral clearance. Conversely, the depletion of NK cells did not significantly alter the disease course in Rag2-/- mice, underscoring the minimal role of NK cells in the acute phase of MA30-induced disease. Together, our results indicate that T and/or B cells, but not NK cells, mitigate MA30-induced disease in mice and the infected mouse model can be used for dissecting the pathogenesis and immunology of severe COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calder R Ellsworth
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Chenxiao Wang
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Alexis R Katz
- Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Center for Translational Research in Infection and Inflammation, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; (A.R.K.); (H.Y.); (J.K.K.)
| | - Zheng Chen
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Mohammad Islamuddin
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Haoran Yang
- Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Center for Translational Research in Infection and Inflammation, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; (A.R.K.); (H.Y.); (J.K.K.)
- Department of Pulmonary Critical Care and Environmental Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Sarah E Scheuermann
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
| | - Kelly A Goff
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
| | - Nicholas J Maness
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Robert V Blair
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
| | - Jay K Kolls
- Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Center for Translational Research in Infection and Inflammation, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; (A.R.K.); (H.Y.); (J.K.K.)
- Department of Pulmonary Critical Care and Environmental Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Xuebin Qin
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (C.R.E.); (C.W.); (Z.C.); (M.I.); (S.E.S.); (K.A.G.); (N.J.M.); (R.V.B.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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Xiao MT, Ellsworth CR, Qin X. Emerging role of complement in COVID-19 and other respiratory virus diseases. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:94. [PMID: 38368584 PMCID: PMC10874912 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05157-8] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
The complement system, a key component of innate immunity, provides the first line of defense against bacterial infection; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that it may also engender severe complications in the context of viral respiratory disease. Here, we review the mechanisms of complement activation and regulation and explore their roles in both protecting against infection and exacerbating disease. We discuss emerging evidence related to complement-targeted therapeutics in COVID-19 and compare the role of the complement in other respiratory viral diseases like influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. We review recent mechanistic studies and animal models that can be used for further investigation. Novel knockout studies are proposed to better understand the nuances of the activation of the complement system in respiratory viral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark T Xiao
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA, 70433, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Calder R Ellsworth
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA, 70433, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Xuebin Qin
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Health Sciences Campus, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA, 70433, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
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Shafqat A, Khan JA, Alkachem AY, Sabur H, Alkattan K, Yaqinuddin A, Sing GK. How Neutrophils Shape the Immune Response: Reassessing Their Multifaceted Role in Health and Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17583. [PMID: 38139412 PMCID: PMC10744338 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417583] [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: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils are the most abundant of the circulating immune cells and are the first to be recruited to sites of inflammation. Neutrophils are a heterogeneous group of immune cells from which are derived extracellular traps (NETs), reactive oxygen species, cytokines, chemokines, immunomodulatory factors, and alarmins that regulate the recruitment and phenotypes of neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, and B cells. In addition, cytokine-stimulated neutrophils can express class II major histocompatibility complex and the internal machinery necessary for successful antigen presentation to memory CD4+ T cells. This may be relevant in the context of vaccine memory. Neutrophils thus emerge as orchestrators of immune responses that play a key role in determining the outcome of infections, vaccine efficacy, and chronic diseases like autoimmunity and cancer. This review aims to provide a synthesis of current evidence as regards the role of these functions of neutrophils in homeostasis and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Areez Shafqat
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia (K.A.); (A.Y.); (G.K.S.)
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