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Dasgupta S, Das S, Chakraborty D. Prediction equations for detecting COVID-19 infection using basic laboratory parameters. J Family Med Prim Care 2024; 13:2683-2691. [PMID: 39071025 PMCID: PMC11272021 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1862_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a global pandemic during 2019 to 2022. The gold standard method of detecting this disease is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). However, RT-PCR has a number of shortcomings. Hence, the objective is to propose a cheap and effective method of detecting COVID-19 infection by using machine learning (ML) techniques, which encompasses five basic parameters as an alternative to the costly RT-PCR. Materials and Methods Two machine learning-based predictive models, namely, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), are designed for predicting COVID-19 infection as a cheaper and simpler alternative to RT-PCR utilizing five basic parameters [i.e., age, total leucocyte count, red blood cell count, platelet count, C-reactive protein (CRP)]. Each of these parameters was studied, and correlation is drawn with COVID-19 diagnosis and progression. These laboratory parameters were evaluated in 171 patients who presented with symptoms suspicious of COVID-19 in a hospital at Kharagpur, India, from April to August 2022. Out of a total of 171 patients, 88 and 83 were found to be COVID-19-negative and COVID-19-positive, respectively. Results The accuracies of the predicted class are found to be 97.06% and 91.18% for ANN and MARS, respectively. CRP is found to be the most significant input parameter. Finally, two predictive mathematical equations for each ML model are provided, which can be quite useful to detect the COVID-19 infection easily. Conclusion It is expected that the present study will be useful to the medical practitioners for predicting the COVID-19 infection in patients based on only five very basic parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Dasgupta
- Dr. B. C. Roy Multi Speciality Medical Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
| | - Shuvankar Das
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
| | - Debarghya Chakraborty
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
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2
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Das R, Sinnarasan VSP, Paul D, Venkatesan A. A Machine Learning Approach to Identify Potential miRNA-Gene Regulatory Network Contributing to the Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Biochem Genet 2024; 62:987-1006. [PMID: 37515735 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-023-10458-x] [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: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Worldwide, many lives have been lost in the recent outbreak of coronavirus disease. The pathogen responsible for this disease takes advantage of the host machinery to replicate itself and, in turn, causes pathogenesis in humans. Human miRNAs are seen to have a major role in the pathogenesis and progression of viral diseases. Hence, an in-silico approach has been used in this study to uncover the role of miRNAs and their target genes in coronavirus disease pathogenesis. This study attempts to perform the miRNA seq data analysis to identify the potential differentially expressed miRNAs. Considering only the experimentally proven interaction databases TarBase, miRTarBase, and miRecords, the target genes of the miRNAs have been identified from the mirNET analytics platform. The identified hub genes were subjected to gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis using EnrichR. It is found that a total of 9 miRNAs are deregulated, out of which 2 were upregulated (hsa-mir-3614-5p and hsa-mir-3614-3p) and 7 were downregulated (hsa-mir-17-5p, hsa-mir-106a-5p, hsa-mir-17-3p, hsa-mir-181d-5p, hsa-mir-93-3p, hsa-mir-28-5p, and hsa-mir-100-5p). These miRNAs help us to classify the diseased and healthy control patients accurately. Moreover, it is also found that crucial target genes (UBC and UBB) of 4 signature miRNAs interact with viral replicase polyprotein 1ab of SARS-Coronavirus. As a result, it is noted that the virus hijacks key immune pathways like various cancer and virus infection pathways and molecular functions such as ubiquitin ligase binding and transcription corepressor and coregulator binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajesh Das
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, RV Nagar, Kalapet, Puducherry, 605014, India
| | | | - Dahrii Paul
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, RV Nagar, Kalapet, Puducherry, 605014, India
| | - Amouda Venkatesan
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, RV Nagar, Kalapet, Puducherry, 605014, India.
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3
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Ninni S, Dombrowicz D, de Winther M, Staels B, Montaigne D, Nattel S. Genetic Factors Altering Immune Responses in Atrial Fibrillation: JACC Review Topic of the Week. J Am Coll Cardiol 2024; 83:1163-1176. [PMID: 38508850 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2023.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia worldwide and is associated with a range of adverse clinical outcomes. Accumulating evidence points to inflammatory processes resulting from innate immune responses as a cornerstone in AF pathogenesis. Genetic and epigenetic factors affecting leukocytes have been identified as key modulators of the inflammatory response. Inherited variants in genes encoding proteins involved in the innate immune response have been associated with increased risk for AF recurrence and stroke in AF patients. Furthermore, acquired somatic mutations associated with clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, leukocyte telomere shortening, and epigenetic age acceleration contribute to increased AF risk. In individuals carrying clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, myocardial monocyte-derived macrophage shift toward a proinflammatory phenotype may precipitate AF. Further studies are needed to better understand the role of genetic regulation of the native immune response in atrial arrhythmogenesis and its therapeutic potential as a target for personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro Ninni
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1011-EGID, Lille, France; Department of Medicine and Research Center, Montreal Heart Institute and Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - David Dombrowicz
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1011-EGID, Lille, France
| | - Menno de Winther
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences: Atherosclerosis & Ischemic Syndromes; Amsterdam Infection and Immunity: Inflammatory diseases; Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bart Staels
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1011-EGID, Lille, France
| | - David Montaigne
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1011-EGID, Lille, France
| | - Stanley Nattel
- Department of Medicine and Research Center, Montreal Heart Institute and Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, West German Heart and Vascular Center Essen, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; Institut hospitalo-universitaire Liryc and Fondation Bordeaux Université, Bordeaux, France.
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4
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Kraft BD, Verhulst S, Lai TP, Sullenger BA, Wang Y, Rountree W, Chen L, Woods CW, Denny TN, Aviv A. T-cell count and T-cell telomere length in patients with severe COVID-19. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1356638. [PMID: 38550590 PMCID: PMC10972845 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1356638] [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: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Lymphocyte telomere length (TL) is highly variable and shortens with age. Short telomeres may impede TL-dependent T-cell clonal expansion with viral infection. As SARS-CoV-2 infection can induce prolonged and severe T-cell lymphopenia, infected adults, and particularly older adults with short telomeres, may display severe T-cell lymphopenia. To examine the relationship between T-cell TL parameters and T-cell counts, we studied 40 patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19. T-cells were isolated from lymphocytes, counted using flow cytometry, and their TL parameters were measured using the Telomere Shortest Length Assay. The cohort (median age = 62 years, 27% female) was racially and ethnically diverse (33% White, 35% Black, and 33% Other). On intensive care unit study day 1, T-cell count (mean=1.03 x109/L) was inversely related to age (p=0.007) and higher in females than males (p=0.025). Mean TL was 3.88 kilobases (kb), and 45.3% of telomeres were shorter than 3 kb. Using multiple regression analysis and adjusting for age and sex, T-cell count decreased with increased proportion of T-cell telomeres shorter than 3 kb (p=0.033) and increased with mean TL (p=0.052). Our findings suggest an association between the buildup of short telomeres within T-cells and explain in part reduced peripheral blood T-cell counts in patients with severe COVID-19. Shortened T-cell telomeres may be a risk factor for COVID-19-associated T-cell lymphopenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan D. Kraft
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Tsung-Po Lai
- Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Bruce A. Sullenger
- Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Yunfei Wang
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Wes Rountree
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Lingye Chen
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Christopher W. Woods
- Center for Infectious Disease Diagnostics and Innovation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States
| | | | - Abraham Aviv
- Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, United States
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5
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Bernardinello N, Crestani B, Spagnolo P, Ghanem M, Homps-Legrand M, Morer L, Goletto T, Frija-Masson J, Bancal C, Hurtado-Nedelec M, de Chaisemartin L, Debray MP, Neukirch C, Taillé C, Ba I, Kannengiesser C, Lainey E, Abels A, Vankann L, Beier F, Borie R. Is telomere length a predictor of long-term survival in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia? Respir Med Res 2023; 84:101048. [PMID: 37826871 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmer.2023.101048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicol Bernardinello
- Respiratory Disease Unit, Department of Cardiac Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Service de Pneumologie A Hôpital Bichat, APHP, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, PHERE, Université Paris Cité, 75018 Paris, France
| | - Bruno Crestani
- Service de Pneumologie A Hôpital Bichat, APHP, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, PHERE, Université Paris Cité, 75018 Paris, France
| | - Paolo Spagnolo
- Respiratory Disease Unit, Department of Cardiac Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Mada Ghanem
- Service de Pneumologie A Hôpital Bichat, APHP, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, PHERE, Université Paris Cité, 75018 Paris, France; Laboratoire d'excellence INFLAMEX, Universite de Paris, Inserm, U1152, Paris, France
| | - Méline Homps-Legrand
- Laboratoire d'excellence INFLAMEX, Universite de Paris, Inserm, U1152, Paris, France
| | - Lise Morer
- Service de Pneumologie A Hôpital Bichat, APHP, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, PHERE, Université Paris Cité, 75018 Paris, France
| | - Tiphaine Goletto
- Service de Pneumologie A Hôpital Bichat, APHP, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, PHERE, Université Paris Cité, 75018 Paris, France
| | - Justine Frija-Masson
- Service de Physiologie Explorations Fonctionnelles, APHP, et Université de Paris, Inserm Neurodiderot F-75018 France
| | - Catherine Bancal
- Service de Physiologie Explorations Fonctionnelles, APHP, et Université de Paris, Inserm Neurodiderot F-75018 France
| | | | - Luc de Chaisemartin
- Universite Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, APHP, Laboratoire d'immunologie, Hôpital Bichat, Paris, France, Inserm, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Marie Pierre Debray
- Laboratoire d'excellence INFLAMEX, Universite de Paris, Inserm, U1152, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Neukirch
- Service de Pneumologie A Hôpital Bichat, APHP, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, PHERE, Université Paris Cité, 75018 Paris, France
| | - Camille Taillé
- Service de Pneumologie A Hôpital Bichat, APHP, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, PHERE, Université Paris Cité, 75018 Paris, France
| | - Ibrahima Ba
- Université de Paris, INSERM 1152, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bichat, Service de génétique, DHU APOLLO, Paris, France
| | - Caroline Kannengiesser
- Université de Paris, INSERM 1152, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bichat, Service de génétique, DHU APOLLO, Paris, France
| | - Elodie Lainey
- Hematology Laboratory, Robert Debré Hospital-Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), INSERM UMR 1131-Hematology University Institute-Denis Diderot School of Medicine, Paris, France
| | - Anne Abels
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Lucia Vankann
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Fabian Beier
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Germany
| | - Raphaël Borie
- Service de Pneumologie A Hôpital Bichat, APHP, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, PHERE, Université Paris Cité, 75018 Paris, France.
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6
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Grand RJ. SARS-CoV-2 and the DNA damage response. J Gen Virol 2023; 104:001918. [PMID: 37948194 PMCID: PMC10768691 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001918] [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: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 is characterized by respiratory distress, multiorgan dysfunction and, in some cases, death. The virus is also responsible for post-COVID-19 condition (commonly referred to as 'long COVID'). SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus with a genome of approximately 30 kb, which encodes 26 proteins. It has been reported to affect multiple pathways in infected cells, resulting, in many cases, in the induction of a 'cytokine storm' and cellular senescence. Perhaps because it is an RNA virus, replicating largely in the cytoplasm, the effect of SARS-Cov-2 on genome stability and DNA damage responses (DDRs) has received relatively little attention. However, it is now becoming clear that the virus causes damage to cellular DNA, as shown by the presence of micronuclei, DNA repair foci and increased comet tails in infected cells. This review considers recent evidence indicating how SARS-CoV-2 causes genome instability, deregulates the cell cycle and targets specific components of DDR pathways. The significance of the virus's ability to cause cellular senescence is also considered, as are the implications of genome instability for patients suffering from long COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger J. Grand
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Science, The Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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7
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Hovhannisyan G, Harutyunyan T, Aroutiounian R, Liehr T. The Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Potential of Cell-Free DNA with a Special Focus on COVID-19 and Other Viral Infections. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14163. [PMID: 37762464 PMCID: PMC10532175 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814163] [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: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in human blood serum, urine, and other body fluids recently became a commonly used diagnostic marker associated with various pathologies. This is because cfDNA enables a much higher sensitivity than standard biochemical parameters. The presence of and/or increased level of cfDNA has been reported for various diseases, including viral infections, including COVID-19. Here, we review cfDNA in general, how it has been identified, where it can derive from, its molecular features, and mechanisms of release and clearance. General suitability of cfDNA for diagnostic questions, possible shortcomings and future directions are discussed, with a special focus on coronavirus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina Hovhannisyan
- Department of Genetics and Cytology, Yerevan State University, Alex Manoogian 1, Yerevan 0025, Armenia; (G.H.); (T.H.); (R.A.)
| | - Tigran Harutyunyan
- Department of Genetics and Cytology, Yerevan State University, Alex Manoogian 1, Yerevan 0025, Armenia; (G.H.); (T.H.); (R.A.)
| | - Rouben Aroutiounian
- Department of Genetics and Cytology, Yerevan State University, Alex Manoogian 1, Yerevan 0025, Armenia; (G.H.); (T.H.); (R.A.)
| | - Thomas Liehr
- Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Institute of Human Genetics, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany
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8
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Haridoss M, Ayyasamy L, Bagepally BS. Is COVID-19 severity associated with telomere length? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Virus Genes 2023:10.1007/s11262-023-02010-1. [PMID: 37261700 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-023-02010-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Telomere shortening, a marker of cellular aging, has been linked to hospitalization and the severity of COVID-19. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the mean difference in telomere length between non-severe and severe COVID-19 individuals was pooled to determine the association between short telomeres and COVID-19 severity. Relevant studies were retrieved through searches conducted in PubMed-Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, Medrxiv, Biorxiv, EuroPMC, and SSRN databases up to November 2022. Selected studies were systematically reviewed and assessed for risk of bias using AXIS tool. The standardized mean difference in telomere length between non-severe and severe COVID-19 was pooled using random-effects model. A total of thirteen studies were included in the review, out of which seven (1332 patients with the severe COVID-19 disease and 6321 patients with non-severe COVID-19) were eligible for meta-analysis. The estimated pooled mean difference in Leukocyte telomere length between severe COVID-19 and non-severe COVID-19 was 0.39 (95% CI - 0.02 to 0.81, I2 = 93.5%) with substantial heterogeneity. Our findings do not provide clear evidence for association of shorter telomere length and severe COVID-19 disease. More extensive studies measuring absolute telomere length with age and gender adjustments are needed to draw definitive conclusions on the potential causal association between telomere shortening and COVID-19 severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhumitha Haridoss
- Health Technology Assessment Resource Centre, ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600077, India
| | - Lavanya Ayyasamy
- Health Technology Assessment Resource Centre, ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600077, India
| | - Bhavani Shankara Bagepally
- Health Technology Assessment Resource Centre, ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600077, India.
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9
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Mahmoodpoor A, Sanaie S, Eskandari M, Behrouzi N, Taghizadeh M, Roudbari F, Emamalizadeh B, Sohrabifar N, Kazeminasab S. Association between leukocyte telomere length and COVID-19 severity. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL HUMAN GENETICS 2023; 24:37. [PMID: 37273887 PMCID: PMC10225776 DOI: 10.1186/s43042-023-00415-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Inter-individual variations in the clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection are among the challenging features of COVID-19. The known role of telomeres in cell proliferation and immune competency highlights their possible function in infectious diseases. Variability in telomere length is an invaluable parameter in the heterogeneity of the clinical presentation of diseases. Result In this study, our aim was to investigate the possible association between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and COVID-19 severity. LTL was measured in 100 patients with moderate and severe forms of COVID-19 using the quantitative PCR (q-PCR) method. Statistical analysis confirmed a strong inverse correlation between relative LTL and COVID-19 severity. Conclusions These findings suggest that LTL can be a useful parameter for predicting disease severity in patients, as individuals with short telomeres may have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43042-023-00415-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ata Mahmoodpoor
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Sarvin Sanaie
- Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Maqsoud Eskandari
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Nazila Behrouzi
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Majid Taghizadeh
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Babak Emamalizadeh
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Nasim Sohrabifar
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Kazeminasab
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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10
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Belić M, Sopić M, Roksandić-Milenković M, Ćeriman V, Guzonijić A, Vukašinović A, Ostanek B, Dimić N, Jovanović D, Kotur-Stevuljević J. Correlation of Short Leukocyte Telomeres and Oxidative Stress with the Presence and Severity of Lung Cancer Explored by Principal Component Analysis. Folia Biol (Praha) 2023; 69:59-68. [PMID: 38063002 DOI: 10.14712/fb2023069020059] [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] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Lung cancer (LC) is the second most common malignancy and leading cause of cancer death. The potential "culprit" for local and systemic telomere shortening in LC patients is oxidative stress. We investigated the correlation between the peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) telomere length (TL) and the presence/severity of LC and oxidative stress, and its usefulness as LC diagnostic marker. PBL TL was measured in 89 LC patients and 83 healthy subjects using the modified Cawthon RTq-PCR method. The relative PBL TL, found to be a potential diagnostic marker for LC with very good accuracy (P < 0.001), was significantly shorter in patients compared to the control group (CG) (P < 0.001). Significantly shorter telomeres were found in patients with LC TNM stage IV than in patients with stages I-III (P = 0.014), in patients without therapy compared to those on therapy (P = 0.008), and in patients with partial response and stable/progressive disease compared to those with complete response (P = 0.039). The total oxidant status (TOS), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in patients compared to CG (P < 0.001) and correlated negatively with TL in both patients and CG (P < 0.001). PCA showed a relation between PAB and TL, and between the EGFR status and TL. Oxidative stress and PBL telomere shortening are probably associated with LC development and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miron Sopić
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
| | | | - Vesna Ćeriman
- Institute for Lung Diseases, Thoracic Surgery and Tuberculosis, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Azra Guzonijić
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Aleksandra Vukašinović
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Barbara Ostanek
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nemanja Dimić
- University Clinical-Hospital Center Dr. Dragisa Misovic, Belgrade, Serbia
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11
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Shen L, Chen L, Chi H, Luo L, Ruan J, Zhao X, Jiang Y, Tung TH, Zhu H, Zhou K, Shen B, Xu J. Parameters and Morphological Changes of Erythrocytes and Platelets of COVID-19 Subjects: A Longitudinal Cohort Study. Infect Drug Resist 2023; 16:1657-1668. [PMID: 36992967 PMCID: PMC10041993 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s400735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Information about dynamic changes occurring in the parameters and morphology of erythrocytes and platelets during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and convalescence is scarce. To explore potential associations between dynamic erythrocyte and platelet parameters, morphological changes, and the course or severity of the disease is essential. Patients and Methods From January 17th, 2020, to February 20th, 2022, we followed up on 35 patients with non-severe and 11 patients with severe COVID-19 following their discharge. We collected clinical features, dynamic complete blood count (CBC), and peripheral blood smears (PBS) and analyzed parameter and morphological changes of erythrocytes and platelets depending on the course or severity of the disease. The course of the disease included four periods, namely onset (T1), discharge (T2), 1-year follow-up (T3), and 2-year follow-up (T4). Results Red blood cell (RBC) counts and hemoglobin were the lowest in T2, followed by T1, and lower in T1 and T2 than in T3 and T4. Inversely, the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) was the highest in T2, followed by T1, and higher than in T3 and T4. Compared to non-severe patients, the platelet of severe patients was lower in T1 and T2. In contrast, the mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) tended to be higher in severe patients. Similarly, anisocytosis was more common in peripheral blood smears at early stages and in severe patients. Finally, large platelets were more common in severe patients. Conclusion Anisocytosis of erythrocytes and large platelets are found in patients with severe COVID-19, these changes may help primary hospitals to identify patients with a high risk of severe COVID-19 at an early stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Shen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Linping Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongbo Chi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lifei Luo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jinsu Ruan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinzhuan Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yi Jiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tao-Hsin Tung
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongguo Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Kai Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Bo Shen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiaqin Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Jiaqin Xu; Bo Shen, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-13968607148; +86 13586121278, Email ;
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12
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Enzymatic approaches against SARS-CoV-2 infection with an emphasis on the telomere-associated enzymes. Biotechnol Lett 2023; 45:333-345. [PMID: 36707451 PMCID: PMC9883136 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-023-03352-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The pandemic phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appears to be over in most countries. However, the unexpected behaviour and unstable nature of coronaviruses, including temporary hiatuses, re-emergence, emergence of new variants, and changing outbreak epicentres during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been frequently reported. The mentioned trend shows the fact that in addition to vaccine development, different strategies should be considered to deal effectively with this disease, in long term. In this regard, the role of enzymes in regulating immune responses to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has recently attracted much attention. Moreover, several reports confirm the association of short telomeres with sever COVID-19 symptoms. This review highlights the role of several enzymes involved in telomere length (TL) regulation and explains their relevance to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Apparently, inhibition of telomere shortening (TS) through inhibition and/or activation of these enzymes could be a potential target in the treatment of COVID-19, which may also lead to a reduction in disease severity.
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13
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Reeves J, Kooner JS, Zhang W. Accelerated ageing is associated with increased COVID-19 severity and differences across ethnic groups may exist. Front Public Health 2022; 10:1034227. [PMID: 36582365 PMCID: PMC9792858 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1034227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While increased age is an established risk factor for COVID-19, there is great heterogeneity in outcomes within age groups. This is because chronological age does not reflect health, unlike biological age. We intend to investigate the association between accelerated ageing and COVID-19 outcomes through the lens of three measures, namely phenotypic age acceleration (PhenoAgeAccel), telomere length (Adjusted T/S Ratio) and facial ageing, and to examine whether there are differences across ethnic groups. Methods Taking participants from the UK Biobank, we associated accelerated ageing with severe COVID-19 outcomes, defined as COVID-related hospitalisation or death. Separate logistic regressions models were created for age and the three accelerated ageing-related variables, adjusting for a variety of covariates in each model. Multivariable logistic regression models were also created within White, Black, Asian and Other ethnic groups to assess for potential differing associations. Forward likelihood ratio logistic regression models were created to evaluate importance of the variables and to assess for patterns of association across the total population and ethnic groups. Results After adjusting for all covariates, the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of COVID-19 severe outcomes for age was 1.080 (1.074-1.086). After further adjusting age for the accelerated ageing variables, the ORs were 1.029 (1.020-1.039) for PhenoAgeAccel and 0.847 (0.772-0.929) for Facial Ageing's "Younger Than You Are" while Adjusted T/S ratio and "Older Than You Are" were statistically insignificant. The OR for age remained similar across ethnic groups. Both PhenoAgeAccel and younger facial ages in the White population and PhenoAgeAccel in the Black population had ORs of 1.031 (1.021-1.042), 0.853 (0.774-0.939), and 1.049 (1.001-1.100), respectively. Both Adjusted T/S Ratio and older facial ages showed statistical insignificance in all ethnicities. In forward logistic regression, age and PhenoAgeAccel were the age-related variables selected most frequently in all models. Interpretation Accelerated ageing is associated with increased COVID-19 severity. The mechanisms at work here are likely immunosenescence and inflamaging. This association indicates that anti-ageing treatment may improve COVID-19 outcome. The results within ethnic groups and that of telomere length were inconclusive, but point to a need for future, more focused research on the topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Reeves
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Jaspal S. Kooner
- Department of Cardiology, Ealing Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Weihua Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Cardiology, Ealing Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
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14
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Andrographis paniculata extract as an immunity modulator against cancer via telomerase inhibition. 3 Biotech 2022; 12:319. [PMID: 36245958 PMCID: PMC9549450 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-022-03373-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
In accordance with the importance of telomerase inhibition as a potential target in cancer therapy, and increasing reports on the association between short telomeres and severe COVID-19 symptoms as well as extensive application of Andrographis paniculata as a remedy for both cancer and SARS-CoV-2, the present study aimed at investigating the impact of the plant’s extracts on telomerase activity (as an important enzyme regulating telomere length). Telomerase inhibition in MCF-7 cells treated with the Dichloromethane, ethanol, water, and methanol extracts of A. paniculata was assessed using Telomerase Repeated Amplification Protocol (TRAP). The above-mentioned extracts inhibited telomerase by 80.3 ± 1.4%, 78.5 ± 1.35%, 77.5 ± 1.81%, and 73.7 ± 1.81%, respectively. Furthermore, the flow cytometry analysis showed that the water and methanol extracts induced higher rates of total apoptosis by 32.8% and 25%, respectively, compared with dichloromethane (10.07%) and ethanol (10.7%) extracts. The inhibitory effect of A. paniculata on telomerase activity can be considered as a potential immunity modulator in cancer therapy; however, telomerase inhibition as a safe approach to SARS-CoV-2 is arguable. Two mechanisms can be considered accordingly; (a) reducing the existing population of short telomeres via telomerase inhibition in cancer cells (arresting proliferation and finally cell death) may decrease the susceptibility against SARS-CoV-2, especially in cancer patients or patients prone to cancer, and (b) increasing the population of short telomeres via telomerase inhibition in normal/somatic cells may increase the susceptibility against SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the telomerase inhibition of A. paniculata as an immunity modulator in cancer and COVID-19 should be investigated, carefully.
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15
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Nguyen LNT, Nguyen LN, Zhao J, Schank M, Dang X, Cao D, Khanal S, Wu XY, Zhang Y, Zhang J, Ning S, Wang L, El Gazzar M, Moorman JP, Yao ZQ. TRF2 inhibition rather than telomerase disruption drives CD4T cell dysfunction during chronic viral infection. J Cell Sci 2022; 135:275609. [PMID: 35660868 PMCID: PMC9377711 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.259481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the role of telomerase and telomere repeat-binding factor 2 (TRF2 or TERF2) in T-cell dysfunction in chronic viral infection. We found that the expression and activity of telomerase in CD4+ T (CD4T) cells from patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections or people living with HIV (PLWH) were intact, but TRF2 expression was significantly inhibited at the post-transcriptional level, suggesting that TRF2 inhibition is responsible for the CD4T cell dysfunction observed during chronic viral infection. Silencing TRF2 expression in CD4T cells derived from healthy subjects induced telomeric DNA damage and CD4T cell dysfunction without affecting telomerase activity or translocation - similar to what we observed in CD4T cells from HCV patients and PLWH. These findings indicate that premature T-cell aging and dysfunction during chronic HCV or HIV infection are primarily caused by chronic immune stimulation and T-cell overactivation and/or proliferation that induce telomeric DNA damage due to TRF2 inhibition, rather than telomerase disruption. This study suggests that restoring TRF2 presents a novel approach to prevent telomeric DNA damage and premature T-cell aging, thus rejuvenating T-cell functions during chronic viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lam Ngoc Thao Nguyen
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Lam Nhat Nguyen
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Juan Zhao
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Madison Schank
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Xindi Dang
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Dechao Cao
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Sushant Khanal
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Xiao Y Wu
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Yi Zhang
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Jinyu Zhang
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Shunbin Ning
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Ling Wang
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Mohamed El Gazzar
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Jonathan P Moorman
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Hepatitis (HCV/HBV/HIV) Program, James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Johnson City, TN 37684, USA
| | - Zhi Q Yao
- Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Diseases, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.,Hepatitis (HCV/HBV/HIV) Program, James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Johnson City, TN 37684, USA
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16
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Sabbatinelli J, Matacchione G, Giuliani A, Ramini D, Rippo MR, Procopio AD, Bonafè M, Olivieri F. Circulating biomarkers of inflammaging as potential predictors of COVID-19 severe outcomes. Mech Ageing Dev 2022; 204:111667. [PMID: 35341896 PMCID: PMC8949647 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2022.111667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection has been of unprecedented clinical and socio-economic worldwide relevance. The case fatality rate for COVID-19 grows exponentially with age and the presence of comorbidities. In the older patients, COVID-19 manifests predominantly as a systemic disease associated with immunological, inflammatory, and procoagulant responses. Timely diagnosis and risk stratification are crucial steps to define appropriate therapies and reduce mortality, especially in the older patients. Chronically and systemically activated innate immune responses and impaired antiviral responses have been recognized as the results of a progressive remodeling of the immune system during aging, which can be described by the words 'immunosenescence' and 'inflammaging'. These age-related features of the immune system were highlighted in patients affected by COVID-19 with the poorest clinical outcomes, suggesting that the mechanisms underpinning immunosenescence and inflammaging could be relevant for COVID-19 pathogenesis and progression. Increasing evidence suggests that senescent myeloid and endothelial cells are characterized by the acquisition of a senescence-associated pro-inflammatory phenotype (SASP), which is considered as the main culprit of both immunosenescence and inflammaging. Here, we reviewed this evidence and highlighted several circulating biomarkers of inflammaging that could provide additional prognostic information to stratify COVID-19 patients based on the risk of severe outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Sabbatinelli
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy; Laboratory Medicine, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona, Italy
| | - Giulia Matacchione
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Angelica Giuliani
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Deborah Ramini
- Center of Clinical Pathology and Innovative Therapy, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy
| | - Maria Rita Rippo
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Antonio Domenico Procopio
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy; Center of Clinical Pathology and Innovative Therapy, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Bonafè
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabiola Olivieri
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy; Center of Clinical Pathology and Innovative Therapy, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy.
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17
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Tsilingiris D, Nasiri-Ansari N, Spyrou N, Magkos F, Dalamaga M. Management of Hematologic Malignancies in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: Pathogenetic Mechanisms, Impact of Obesity, Perspectives, and Challenges. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:2494. [PMID: 35626099 PMCID: PMC9139192 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14102494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about an unprecedented societal and healthcare system crisis, considerably affecting healthcare workers and patients, particularly those with chronic diseases. Patients with hematologic malignancies faced a variety of challenges, pertinent to the nature of an underlying hematologic disorder itself as well as its therapy as a risk factor for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, suboptimal vaccine efficacy and the need for uninterrupted medical observation and continued therapy. Obesity constitutes another factor which was acknowledged since the early days of the pandemic that predisposed people to severe COVID-19, and shares a likely causal link with the pathogenesis of a broad spectrum of hematologic cancers. We review here the epidemiologic and pathogenetic features that obesity and hematologic malignancies share, as well as potential mutual pathophysiological links predisposing people to a more severe SARS-CoV-2 course. Additionally, we attempt to present the existing evidence on the multi-faceted crucial challenges that had to be overcome in this diverse patient group and discuss further unresolved questions and future challenges for the management of hematologic malignancies in the era of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Tsilingiris
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, 17 St Thomas Street, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Narjes Nasiri-Ansari
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Spyrou
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Faidon Magkos
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Maria Dalamaga
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias, 11527 Athens, Greece
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18
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Gao X, Yu X, Zhang C, Wang Y, Sun Y, Sun H, Zhang H, Shi Y, He X. Telomeres and Mitochondrial Metabolism: Implications for Cellular Senescence and Age-related Diseases. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2022; 18:2315-2327. [PMID: 35460064 PMCID: PMC9033418 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-022-10370-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cellular senescence is an irreversible cell arrest process, which is determined by a variety of complicated mechanisms, including telomere attrition, mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic disorders, loss of protein homeostasis, epigenetic changes, etc. Cellular senescence is causally related to the occurrence and development of age-related disease. The elderly is liable to suffer from disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Therefore, it is increasingly imperative to explore specific countermeasures for the treatment of age-related diseases. Numerous studies on humans and mice emphasize the significance of metabolic imbalance caused by short telomeres and mitochondrial damages in the onset of age-related diseases. Although the experimental data are relatively independent, more and more evidences have shown that there is mutual crosstalk between telomeres and mitochondrial metabolism in the process of cellular senescence. This review systematically discusses the relationship between telomere length, mitochondrial metabolic disorder, as well as their underlying mechanisms for cellular senescence and age-related diseases. Future studies on telomere and mitochondrial metabolism may shed light on potential therapeutic strategies for age-related diseases. Graphical Abstract The characteristics of cellular senescence mainly include mitochondrial dysfunction and telomere attrition. Mitochondrial dysfunction will cause mitochondrial metabolic disorders, including decreased ATP production, increased ROS production, as well as enhanced cellular apoptosis. While oxidative stress reaction to produce ROS, leads to DNA damage, and eventually influences telomere length. Under the stimulation of oxidative stress, telomerase catalytic subunit TERT mainly plays an inhibitory role on oxidative stress, reduces the production of ROS and protects telomere function. Concurrently, mitochondrial dysfunction and telomere attrition eventually induce a range of age-related diseases, such as T2DM, osteoporosis, AD, etc. :increase; :reduce;⟝:inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyu Gao
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Xiao Yu
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Chang Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Yiming Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Yanan Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Hui Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Haiying Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Yingai Shi
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Xu He
- The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
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19
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Anderson JJ, Susser E, Arbeev KG, Yashin AI, Levy D, Verhulst S, Aviv A. Telomere-length dependent T-cell clonal expansion: A model linking ageing to COVID-19 T-cell lymphopenia and mortality. EBioMedicine 2022; 78:103978. [PMID: 35367774 PMCID: PMC8970968 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.103978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe COVID-19 T-cell lymphopenia is more common among older adults and entails poor prognosis. Offsetting the decline in T-cell count during COVID-19 demands fast and massive T-cell clonal expansion, which is telomere length (TL)-dependent. METHODS We developed a model of TL-dependent T-cell clonal expansion capacity with age and virtually examined the relation of T-cell clonal expansion with COVID-19 mortality in the general population. FINDINGS The model shows that an individual with average hematopoietic cell TL (HCTL) at age twenty years maintains maximal T-cell clonal expansion capacity until the 6th decade of life when this capacity rapidly declines by more than 90% over the next ten years. The collapse in the T-cell clonal expansion capacity coincides with the steep increase in COVID-19 mortality with age. INTERPRETATION Short HCTL might increase vulnerability of many older adults, and some younger individuals with inherently short HCTL, to COVID-19 T-cell lymphopenia and severe disease. FUNDING A full list of funding bodies that contributed to this study can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J. Anderson
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA,Corresponding author.
| | - Ezra Susser
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Konstantin G. Arbeev
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Anatoliy I. Yashin
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Daniel Levy
- Population Sciences Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 27705, USA,The Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA 01702, USA
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherland
| | - Abraham Aviv
- The Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
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20
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Are Dyskeratosis Congenita Patients at Higher Risk of Symptomatic COVID-19? Med Hypotheses 2022; 163:110843. [PMID: 35464998 PMCID: PMC9011900 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2022.110843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Dyskeratosis Congenita (DC) is a rare and heterogeneous disease. This disorder is resulted from a defect in the telomere maintenance in stem cells. Telomerase RNA component, shelterin complex, and telomerase reverse transcriptase are mutated in this disease. Many studies have previously confirmed shorter leukocyte telomere length in DC. On the other hand, the association between telomere length and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) indicated that people with a short telomere background mostly show more severe symptoms related to COVID-19, and the mortality rate among them increases as well. Because patients with DC have an abnormally short telomere length, in the current study, we hypothesized that they are at higher risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 that requires further clinical care.
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21
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Mahmoodpoor A, Sanaie S, Roudbari F, Sabzevari T, Sohrabifar N, Kazeminasab S. Understanding the role of telomere attrition and epigenetic signatures in COVID-19 severity. Gene 2022; 811:146069. [PMID: 34848322 PMCID: PMC8634871 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2021.146069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Within the past several decades, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases with pandemic potential have endangered human lives. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak represents an unprecedented threat for all health systems worldwide. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 is highly heterogeneous, ranging from asymptomatic and mild upper respiratory tract illness to severe interstitial pneumonia with respiratory failure and even death. Highly age-dependent patterns of immune response potentially explain the higher rates of the severe forms of COVID-19 in elderly patients. However, genetic and epigenetic architecture can influence multiple biological processes during the lifespan, therefore as far as our knowledge shows, vulnerability to viral infection concerning telomere length and epigenetic signature is not a new idea. This review aims is to summarize the current understanding of the role of telomere length and epigenetic mechanisms on the severity of COVID-19. The current knowledge highlights the significant association between the shorter telomere length and the higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. Differential DNA methylation patterns and miRNA expression profiles imply that these hallmarks can play a pivotal role in COVID- 19 pathogenesis. Understanding the causes of inter-individual variations in COVID-19 outcomes could provide clues to the development of the personalized therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ata Mahmoodpoor
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Sarvin Sanaie
- Neurosciences Research center, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Tara Sabzevari
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Nasim Sohrabifar
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Kazeminasab
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Research Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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22
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Rossiello F, Jurk D, Passos JF, d'Adda di Fagagna F. Telomere dysfunction in ageing and age-related diseases. Nat Cell Biol 2022; 24:135-147. [PMID: 35165420 PMCID: PMC8985209 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-00842-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 102.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Ageing organisms accumulate senescent cells that are thought to contribute to body dysfunction. Telomere shortening and damage are recognized causes of cellular senescence and ageing. Several human conditions associated with normal ageing are precipitated by accelerated telomere dysfunction. Here, we systematize a large body of evidence and propose a coherent perspective to recognize the broad contribution of telomeric dysfunction to human pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Rossiello
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Diana Jurk
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - João F Passos
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Fabrizio d'Adda di Fagagna
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy.
- Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IGM-CNR), Pavia, Italy.
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23
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Identifying potential novel insights for COVID-19 pathogenesis and therapeutics using an integrated bioinformatics analysis of host transcriptome. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 194:770-780. [PMID: 34826456 PMCID: PMC8610562 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.11.124] [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: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of COVID-19 have not been fully discovered. This study aims to decipher potentially hidden parts of the pathogenesis of COVID-19, potential novel drug targets, and identify potential drug candidates. Two gene expression profiles were analyzed, and overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected for which top enriched transcription factors and kinases were identified, and pathway analysis was performed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) of DEGs was constructed, hub genes were identified, and module analysis was also performed. DGIdb database was used to identify drugs for the potential targets (hub genes and the most enriched transcription factors and kinases for DEGs). A drug-potential target network was constructed, and drugs were ranked according to the degree. L1000FDW was used to identify drugs that can reverse transcriptional profiles of COVID-19. We identified drugs currently in clinical trials, others predicted by different methods, and novel potential drug candidates Entrectinib, Omeprazole, and Exemestane for combating COVID-19. Besides the well-known pathogenic pathways, it was found that axon guidance is a potential pathogenic pathway. Sema7A, which may exacerbate hypercytokinemia, is considered a potential novel drug target. Another potential novel pathway is related to TINF2 overexpression, which may induce potential telomere dysfunction and damage DNA that may exacerbate lung fibrosis. This study identified new potential insights regarding COVID-19 pathogenesis and treatment, which might help us improve our understanding of the mechanisms of COVID-19.
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24
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Kumar A, Narayan RK, Prasoon P, Kumari C, Kaur G, Kumar S, Kulandhasamy M, Sesham K, Pareek V, Faiq MA, Pandey SN, Singh HN, Kant K, Shekhawat PS, Raza K, Kumar S. Mecanismos del COVID-19 en el cuerpo humano: Lo que sabemos hasta ahora. KOMPASS NEUMOLOGÍA 2022. [PMCID: PMC9059041 DOI: 10.1159/000521507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Kumar
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Anatomía, (AIIMS), Patna, India
| | - Ravi K. Narayan
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Anatomía, Instituto de Ciencias Médicas de las Islas Andamán y Nicobar, Port Blair, India
| | - Pranav Prasoon
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Centro de Investigación del Dolor de Pittsburgh, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Estados Unidos
| | - Chiman Kumari
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Anatomía, Instituto de Posgrado de Educación e Investigación Médica (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Gurjot Kaur
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Escuela de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Universidad Shoolini, Solan, India
| | - Santosh Kumar
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Anestesiología y Medicina Crítica, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland, Estados Unidos
| | - Maheswari Kulandhasamy
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Colegio Médico Maulana Azad (MAMC), Nueva Delhi, India
| | - Kishore Sesham
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Anatomía, Instituto de Ciencias Médicas de la India (AIIMS), Mangalagiri, Vijayawada, India
| | - Vikas Pareek
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Centro de Ciencias Cognitivas y del Cerebro, Instituto Indio de Tecnología Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Muneeb A. Faiq
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Universidad de Nueva York (NYU) Langone Health Center, Escuela de Medicina Robert I. Grossman de la NYU, Nueva York, New York, Estados Unidos
| | - Sada N. Pandey
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad Hindú de Banaras (BHU), Varanasi, India
| | - Himanshu N. Singh
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Biología de Sistemas, Centro Médico Irving de la Universidad de Columbia, Nueva York, New York, Estados Unidos
| | - Kamla Kant
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Ciencias Médicas de la India (AIIMS), Bathinda, India
| | - Prakash S. Shekhawat
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Hematología Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas, Jaipur, India
| | - Khursheed Raza
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Departamento de Anatomía, Instituto de Ciencias Médicas de la India (AIIMS), Deoghar, India
| | - Sujeet Kumar
- Red de Investigación de Trastornos Etiológicamente Elusivos (EEDRN), Nueva Delhi, India
- Centro de Proteómica y Desarrollo de Fármacos, Instituto de Biotecnología Amity, Universidad Amity, Maharashtra, India
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25
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Witkowski JM. Immune system aging and the aging-related diseases in the COVIID-19 era. Immunol Lett 2022; 243:19-27. [PMID: 35108570 PMCID: PMC8801734 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The interest in the process of aging, and specifically in how aging affects the working of our immune system, has recently enormously grown among both specialists (immunologists and gerontologists) and representatives of other disciplines of health sciences. An obvious reason for this interest is the current pandemics of COVID-19, known to affect the elderly more than younger people. In this paper current knowledge about mechanisms and complex facets of human immune system aging is presented, stemming from the knowledge about the working of various parts of the immune system, and leading to understanding of immunological mechanisms of chronic, inflammatory, aging-related diseases and of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacek M Witkowski
- Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7, 80-211, Gdańsk, Poland.
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26
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Sepe S, Rossiello F, Cancila V, Iannelli F, Matti V, Cicio G, Cabrini M, Marinelli E, Alabi BR, di Lillo A, Di Napoli A, Shay JW, Tripodo C, d'Adda di Fagagna F. DNA damage response at telomeres boosts the transcription of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 during aging. EMBO Rep 2021; 23:e53658. [PMID: 34854526 PMCID: PMC8811650 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202153658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), known to be more common in the elderly, who also show more severe symptoms and are at higher risk of hospitalization and death. Here, we show that the expression of the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the SARS‐CoV‐2 cell receptor, increases during aging in mouse and human lungs. ACE2 expression increases upon telomere shortening or dysfunction in both cultured mammalian cells and in vivo in mice. This increase is controlled at the transcriptional level, and Ace2 promoter activity is DNA damage response (DDR)‐dependent. Both pharmacological global DDR inhibition of ATM kinase activity and selective telomeric DDR inhibition by the use of antisense oligonucleotides prevent Ace2 upregulation following telomere damage in cultured cells and in mice. We propose that during aging telomere dysfunction due to telomeric shortening or damage triggers DDR activation and this causes the upregulation of ACE2, the SARS‐CoV‐2 cell receptor, thus contributing to make the elderly more susceptible to the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Sepe
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Rossiello
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Cancila
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabio Iannelli
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Matti
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Giada Cicio
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy.,Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Matteo Cabrini
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy.,Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IGM-CNR), Pavia, Italy
| | - Eugenia Marinelli
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy.,Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IGM-CNR), Pavia, Italy
| | - Busola R Alabi
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Alessia di Lillo
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Arianna Di Napoli
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Pathology Unit, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Jerry W Shay
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Claudio Tripodo
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabrizio d'Adda di Fagagna
- IFOM Foundation-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy.,Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IGM-CNR), Pavia, Italy
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27
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Teixeira MZ. Telomere and Telomerase: Biological Markers of Organic Vital Force State and Homeopathic Treatment Effectiveness. HOMEOPATHY 2021; 110:283-291. [PMID: 34000743 PMCID: PMC8575553 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1726008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Philosophical-scientific correlations described in previous studies suggest that the genome can be the biological representation of the vital force, whilst the disease-promoting epigenetic alterations would be the biological representation of the chronic miasmas. In this study, we expand the functional correlation between vital force and chromosomes, describing the mechanism of action of the telomere-telomerase complex in the context of physiological balance. AIMS The aim of the work is to study the role of the telomere-telomerase complex in cell vitality, biological aging, and the health-disease process, with the goal of proposing the use of telomere length as a biomarker of the vital force state and the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment. RESULTS Similar to the vital force, telomere length and telomerase enzyme activity play an important role in maintaining cellular vitality, biological longevity, and physiological homeostasis. Telomere shortening functions as a biomarker of vital imbalance and is associated with numerous diseases and health disorders. On the other hand, health-promotion practices neutralize the pathological shortening of the telomeres, acting therapeutically in diseases or age-dependent health disorders. CONCLUSIONS As a hypothetical biomarker of the vital force state, an intra-individual analysis of the mean leukocyte telomere length before, during, and after homeopathic treatment can be used as a biomarker of therapeutic effectiveness.
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28
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Kumar A, Narayan RK, Prasoon P, Kumari C, Kaur G, Kumar S, Kulandhasamy M, Sesham K, Pareek V, Faiq MA, Pandey SN, Singh HN, Kant K, Shekhawat PS, Raza K, Kumar S. COVID-19 Mechanisms in the Human Body-What We Know So Far. Front Immunol 2021; 12:693938. [PMID: 34790191 PMCID: PMC8592035 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.693938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
More than one and a half years have elapsed since the commencement of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the world is struggling to contain it. Being caused by a previously unknown virus, in the initial period, there had been an extreme paucity of knowledge about the disease mechanisms, which hampered preventive and therapeutic measures against COVID-19. In an endeavor to understand the pathogenic mechanisms, extensive experimental studies have been conducted across the globe involving cell culture-based experiments, human tissue organoids, and animal models, targeted to various aspects of the disease, viz., viral properties, tissue tropism and organ-specific pathogenesis, involvement of physiological systems, and the human immune response against the infection. The vastly accumulated scientific knowledge on all aspects of COVID-19 has currently changed the scenario from great despair to hope. Even though spectacular progress has been made in all of these aspects, multiple knowledge gaps are remaining that need to be addressed in future studies. Moreover, multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants have emerged across the globe since the onset of the first COVID-19 wave, with seemingly greater transmissibility/virulence and immune escape capabilities than the wild-type strain. In this review, we narrate the progress made since the commencement of the pandemic regarding the knowledge on COVID-19 mechanisms in the human body, including virus-host interactions, pulmonary and other systemic manifestations, immunological dysregulations, complications, host-specific vulnerability, and long-term health consequences in the survivors. Additionally, we provide a brief review of the current evidence explaining molecular mechanisms imparting greater transmissibility and virulence and immune escape capabilities to the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Kumar
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, India
| | - Ravi K. Narayan
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Anatomy, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences, Port Blair, India
| | - Pranav Prasoon
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Chiman Kumari
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Anatomy, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Gurjot Kaur
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan, India
| | - Santosh Kumar
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Maheswari Kulandhasamy
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Biochemistry, Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), New Delhi, India
| | - Kishore Sesham
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Mangalagiri, Vijayawada, India
| | - Vikas Pareek
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Muneeb A. Faiq
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- New York University (NYU) Langone Health Center, NYU Robert I. Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Sada N. Pandey
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, India
| | - Himanshu N. Singh
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kamla Kant
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, India
| | - Prakash S. Shekhawat
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Clinical Hematology, National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, India
| | - Khursheed Raza
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Deoghar, India
| | - Sujeet Kumar
- Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN), New Delhi, India
- Center for Proteomics and Drug Discovery, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Maharashtra, India
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29
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Medina-Quero K, Barreto-Rodriguez O, Mendez-Rodriguez V, Sanchez-Moncivais A, Buendia-Roldan I, Chavez-Galan L. SARS-CoV-2 infection: Understanding the immune system abnormalities to get an adequate diagnosis. Bosn J Basic Med Sci 2021; 21:503-514. [PMID: 33596401 PMCID: PMC8381208 DOI: 10.17305/bjbms.2020.5400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 is the current pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that emerged from China at the end of December 2019. The scientific community is making extraordinary efforts to understand the virus structure and the pathophysiology and immunological processes activated in the host, in order to identify biomarkers, diagnostic tools, treatments, and vaccines to decrease COVID-19 incidence and mortality. Various abnormalities have been noted during SARS-CoV-2 infection both in lymphoid and myeloid cells. Such abnormalities may disturb the immune system function and cause a massive inflammatory response that impairs tissue function. This review discusses the close relationship between the immune system abnormalities and the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, including fibrosis, in the context of COVID-19 disease. Moreover, we described the current strategies for COVID-19 diagnosis, and we provide a summary of the most useful clinical laboratory parameters to identify severe COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Medina-Quero
- Laboratory of Immunology, Escuela Militar de Graduados de Sanidad, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Omar Barreto-Rodriguez
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosio Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | | | - Ivette Buendia-Roldan
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosio Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Leslie Chavez-Galan
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosio Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico
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30
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dos Santos GA, Pimenta R, Viana NI, Guimarães VR, Romão P, Candido P, de Camargo JA, Hatanaka DM, Queiroz PGS, Teruya A, Leite KR, Srougi V, Srougi M, Reis ST. Shorter leukocyte telomere length is associated with severity of COVID-19 infection. Biochem Biophys Rep 2021; 27:101056. [PMID: 34151032 PMCID: PMC8200309 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2021.101056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The infection by COVID-19 is a serious global public health problem. An efficient way to improve this disease's clinical management would be to characterize patients at higher risk of progressing to critically severe infection using prognostic biomarkers. The telomere length could be used for this purpose. Telomeres are responsible for controlling the number of maximum cell divisions. The telomere length is a biomarker of aging and several diseases. We aimed to compare leukocyte telomere length (LTL) between patients without COVID-19 and patients with different clinical severity of the infection. Were included 53 patients who underwent SARS-CoV-2 PCR divided in four groups. The first group was composed by patients with a negative diagnosis for COVID-19 (n = 12). The other three groups consisted of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 divided according to the severity of the disease: mild (n = 15), moderate (n = 17) and severe (n = 9). The LTL was determined by Q-PCR. The severe group had the shortest LTL, followed by the moderate group. The negative and mild groups showed no differences. There is an increase of patients with hypertension (p = 0.0099) and diabetes (p = 0.0067) in moderate and severe groups. Severe group was composed by older patients in comparison with the other three groups (p = 0.0083). Regarding sex, there was no significant difference between groups (p = 0.6279). In an ordinal regression model, only LTL and diabetes were significantly associated with disease severity. Shorter telomere length was significantly associated with the severity of COVID-19 infection, which can be useful as a biomarker or to better understand the SARS-CoV-2 pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Arantes dos Santos
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ruan Pimenta
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Nayara I. Viana
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Minas Gerais State University (UEMG), Passos, MG, Brazil
| | - Vanessa R. Guimarães
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Poliana Romão
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Candido
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana A. de Camargo
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Katia R.M. Leite
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Victor Srougi
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Moriah Hospital, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Miguel Srougi
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Sabrina T. Reis
- Urology Department, Laboratory of Medical Investigation (LIM55), Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Moriah Hospital, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Minas Gerais State University (UEMG), Passos, MG, Brazil
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31
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O’Donoghue SI, Schafferhans A, Sikta N, Stolte C, Kaur S, Ho BK, Anderson S, Procter JB, Dallago C, Bordin N, Adcock M, Rost B. SARS-CoV-2 structural coverage map reveals viral protein assembly, mimicry, and hijacking mechanisms. Mol Syst Biol 2021; 17:e10079. [PMID: 34519429 PMCID: PMC8438690 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202010079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We modeled 3D structures of all SARS-CoV-2 proteins, generating 2,060 models that span 69% of the viral proteome and provide details not available elsewhere. We found that ˜6% of the proteome mimicked human proteins, while ˜7% was implicated in hijacking mechanisms that reverse post-translational modifications, block host translation, and disable host defenses; a further ˜29% self-assembled into heteromeric states that provided insight into how the viral replication and translation complex forms. To make these 3D models more accessible, we devised a structural coverage map, a novel visualization method to show what is-and is not-known about the 3D structure of the viral proteome. We integrated the coverage map into an accompanying online resource (https://aquaria.ws/covid) that can be used to find and explore models corresponding to the 79 structural states identified in this work. The resulting Aquaria-COVID resource helps scientists use emerging structural data to understand the mechanisms underlying coronavirus infection and draws attention to the 31% of the viral proteome that remains structurally unknown or dark.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral/chemistry
- Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral/genetics
- Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral/metabolism
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/chemistry
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/genetics
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism
- Binding Sites
- COVID-19/genetics
- COVID-19/metabolism
- COVID-19/virology
- Computational Biology/methods
- Coronavirus Envelope Proteins/chemistry
- Coronavirus Envelope Proteins/genetics
- Coronavirus Envelope Proteins/metabolism
- Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/chemistry
- Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/genetics
- Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/metabolism
- Host-Pathogen Interactions/genetics
- Humans
- Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins/chemistry
- Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins/genetics
- Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism
- Mitochondrial Precursor Protein Import Complex Proteins
- Models, Molecular
- Molecular Mimicry
- Neuropilin-1/chemistry
- Neuropilin-1/genetics
- Neuropilin-1/metabolism
- Phosphoproteins/chemistry
- Phosphoproteins/genetics
- Phosphoproteins/metabolism
- Protein Binding
- Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical
- Protein Conformation, beta-Strand
- Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
- Protein Interaction Mapping/methods
- Protein Multimerization
- Protein Processing, Post-Translational
- SARS-CoV-2/chemistry
- SARS-CoV-2/genetics
- SARS-CoV-2/metabolism
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism
- Viral Matrix Proteins/chemistry
- Viral Matrix Proteins/genetics
- Viral Matrix Proteins/metabolism
- Viroporin Proteins/chemistry
- Viroporin Proteins/genetics
- Viroporin Proteins/metabolism
- Virus Replication
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Affiliation(s)
- Seán I O’Donoghue
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
- CSIRO Data61CanberraACTAustralia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (UNSW)KensingtonNSWAustralia
| | - Andrea Schafferhans
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
- Department of Bioengineering SciencesWeihenstephan‐Tr. University of Applied SciencesFreisingGermany
- Department of InformaticsBioinformatics & Computational BiologyTechnical University of MunichMunichGermany
| | - Neblina Sikta
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
| | | | - Sandeep Kaur
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (UNSW)KensingtonNSWAustralia
| | - Bosco K Ho
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurstNSWAustralia
| | | | | | - Christian Dallago
- Department of InformaticsBioinformatics & Computational BiologyTechnical University of MunichMunichGermany
| | - Nicola Bordin
- Institute of Structural and Molecular BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Burkhard Rost
- Department of InformaticsBioinformatics & Computational BiologyTechnical University of MunichMunichGermany
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32
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Teixeira MZ. Telomere length: biological marker of cellular vitality, aging, and health-disease process. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2021; 67:173-177. [PMID: 34406239 DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.67.02.20200655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The aging process occurs due to the decline of vital physiological functions and adaptability of the body, being influenced by genetics and lifestyle. With advances in genetics, biological aging can be calculated by telomere length. Telomeres are regions at the ends of chromosomes that play a role in the maintenance and integrity of DNA. With biological aging, telomere shortening occurs, causing cellular senescence. Several studies show that shorter telomeres are associated with acute and chronic diseases, stress, addictions, and intoxications. Even in the current COVID-19 pandemic, telomere shortening is proposed as a marker of severity in individuals infected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On the other hand, healthy lifestyle habits increase telomere length and balance of various cellular functions, preventing diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Zulian Teixeira
- Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clinicas, Faculdade de Medicina - Universidade de São Paulo (SP), Brazil
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33
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Wang Q, Codd V, Raisi-Estabragh Z, Musicha C, Bountziouka V, Kaptoge S, Allara E, Angelantonio ED, Butterworth AS, Wood AM, Thompson JR, Petersen SE, Harvey NC, Danesh JN, Samani NJ, Nelson CP. Shorter leukocyte telomere length is associated with adverse COVID-19 outcomes: A cohort study in UK Biobank. EBioMedicine 2021; 70:103485. [PMID: 34304048 PMCID: PMC8299112 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Older age is the most powerful risk factor for adverse coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) outcomes. It is uncertain whether leucocyte telomere length (LTL), previously proposed as a marker of biological age, is also associated with COVID-19 outcomes. Methods We associated LTL values obtained from participants recruited into UK Biobank (UKB) during 2006-2010 with adverse COVID-19 outcomes recorded by 30 November 2020, defined as a composite of any of the following: hospital admission, need for critical care, respiratory support, or mortality. Using information on 130 LTL-associated genetic variants, we conducted exploratory Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses in UKB to evaluate whether observational associations might reflect cause-and-effect relationships. Findings Of 6775 participants in UKB who tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV-2 in the community, there were 914 (13.5%) with adverse COVID-19 outcomes. The odds ratio (OR) for adverse COVID-19 outcomes was 1·17 (95% CI 1·05-1·30; P = 0·004) per 1-SD shorter usual LTL, after adjustment for age, sex and ethnicity. Similar ORs were observed in analyses that: adjusted for additional risk factors; disaggregated the composite outcome and reduced the scope for selection or collider bias. In MR analyses, the OR for adverse COVID-19 outcomes was directionally concordant but non-significant. Interpretation Shorter LTL is associated with higher risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes, independent of several major risk factors for COVID-19 including age. Further data are needed to determine whether this association reflects causality. Funding UK Medical Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and British Heart Foundation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingning Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Veryan Codd
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Zahra Raisi-Estabragh
- William Harvey Research Institute, NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M6BQ, United Kingdom; Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London EC1A7BE, United Kingdom
| | - Crispin Musicha
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, United Kingdom; NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Vasiliki Bountziouka
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, United Kingdom; NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Kaptoge
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Elias Allara
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emanuele Di Angelantonio
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Adam S Butterworth
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Angela M Wood
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; The Alan Turing Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - John R Thompson
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Steffen E Petersen
- William Harvey Research Institute, NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M6BQ, United Kingdom; Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London EC1A7BE, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas C Harvey
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - John N Danesh
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Human Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Nilesh J Samani
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher P Nelson
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom.
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34
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Benetos A, Lai TP, Toupance S, Labat C, Verhulst S, Gautier S, Ungeheuer MN, Perret-Guillaume C, Levy D, Susser E, Aviv A. The Nexus Between Telomere Length and Lymphocyte Count in Seniors Hospitalized With COVID-19. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2021; 76:e97-e101. [PMID: 33528568 PMCID: PMC7929343 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glab026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Profound T-cell lymphopenia is the hallmark of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). T-cell proliferation is telomere length (TL) dependent and telomeres shorten with age. Older COVID-19 patients, we hypothesize, are, therefore, at a higher risk of having TL-dependent lymphopenia. We measured TL by the novel Telomere Shortest Length Assay (TeSLA), and by Southern blotting (SB) of the terminal restriction fragments in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 17 COVID-19 and 21 non-COVID-19 patients, aged 87 ± 8 (mean ± SD) and 87 ± 9 years, respectively. TeSLA tallies and measures single telomeres, including short telomeres undetected by SB. Such telomeres are relevant to TL-mediated biological processes, including cell viability and senescence. TeSLA yields 2 key metrics: the proportions of telomeres with different lengths (expressed in %) and their mean (TeSLA mTL), (expressed in kb). Lymphocyte count (109/L) was 0.91 ± 0.42 in COVID-19 patients and 1.50 ± 0.50 in non-COVID-19 patients (p < .001). In COVID-19 patients, but not in non-COVID-19 patients, lymphocyte count was inversely correlated with the proportion of telomeres shorter than 2 kb (p = .005) and positively correlated with TeSLA mTL (p = .03). Lymphocyte count was not significantly correlated with SB mTL in either COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 patients. We propose that compromised TL-dependent T-cell proliferative response, driven by short telomere in the TL distribution, contributes to COVID-19 lymphopenia among old adults. We infer that infection with SARS-CoV-2 uncovers the limits of the TL reserves of older persons. Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT04325646.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanase Benetos
- Université de Lorraine, Inserm, DCAC, Nancy, France
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Pôle “Maladies du Vieillissement, Gérontologie et Soins Palliatifs,”France
| | - Tsung-Po Lai
- Center of Human Development and Aging, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, USA
| | | | - Carlos Labat
- Université de Lorraine, Inserm, DCAC, Nancy, France
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Sylvie Gautier
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Pôle “Maladies du Vieillissement, Gérontologie et Soins Palliatifs,”France
| | - Marie-Noelle Ungeheuer
- Institut Pasteur, Clinical Investigation and Access to Bioresources Department, Paris, France
| | - Christine Perret-Guillaume
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Pôle “Maladies du Vieillissement, Gérontologie et Soins Palliatifs,”France
| | - Daniel Levy
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study, Massachusetts, USA
- Population Research Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Ezra Susser
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA
| | - Abraham Aviv
- Center of Human Development and Aging, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, USA
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35
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Anderson JJ, Susser E, Arbeev KG, Yashin AI, Levy D, Verhulst S, Aviv A. Short Telomeres and a T-Cell Shortfall in COVID-19: The Aging Effect. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2021. [PMID: 34268523 PMCID: PMC8282112 DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.19.21257474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The slow pace of global vaccination and the rapid emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants suggest recurrent waves of COVID-19 in coming years. Therefore, understanding why deaths from COVID-19 are highly concentrated among older adults is essential for global health. Severe COVID-19 T-cell lymphopenia is more common among older adults, and it entails poor prognosis. Much about the primary etiology of this form of lymphopenia remains unknown, but regardless of its causes, offsetting the decline in T-cell count during SARS-CoV-2 infection demands fast and massive T-cell clonal expansion, which is telomere length (TL)-dependent. We have built a model that captures the effect of age-dependent TL shortening in hematopoietic cells and its effect on T-cell clonal expansion capacity. The model shows that an individual with average hematopoietic cell TL (HCTL) at age twenty years maintains maximal T-cell clonal expansion capacity until the 6th decade of life when this capacity plummets by more than 90% over the next ten years. The collapse coincides with the steep increase in COVID-19 mortality with age. HCTL metrics may thus explain the vulnerability of older adults to COVID-19. That said, the wide inter-individual variation in HCTL across the general population means that some younger adults with inherently short HCTL might be at risk of severe COVID-19 lymphopenia and mortality from the disease.
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36
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Sfera A, Osorio C, Zapata Martín del Campo CM, Pereida S, Maurer S, Maldonado JC, Kozlakidis Z. Endothelial Senescence and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a COVID-19 Based Hypothesis. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:673217. [PMID: 34248502 PMCID: PMC8267916 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.673217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome is a serious illness of unknown etiology, characterized by debilitating exhaustion, memory impairment, pain and sleep abnormalities. Viral infections are believed to initiate the pathogenesis of this syndrome although the definite proof remains elusive. With the unfolding of COVID-19 pandemic, the interest in this condition has resurfaced as excessive tiredness, a major complaint of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, often lingers for a long time, resulting in disability, and poor life quality. In a previous article, we hypothesized that COVID-19-upregulated angiotensin II triggered premature endothelial cell senescence, disrupting the intestinal and blood brain barriers. Here, we hypothesize further that post-viral sequelae, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, are promoted by the gut microbes or toxin translocation from the gastrointestinal tract into other tissues, including the brain. This model is supported by the SARS-CoV-2 interaction with host proteins and bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Conversely, targeting microbial translocation and cellular senescence may ameliorate the symptoms of this disabling illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adonis Sfera
- Patton State Hospital, San Bernardino, CA, United States
| | | | | | | | - Steve Maurer
- Patton State Hospital, San Bernardino, CA, United States
| | - Jose Campo Maldonado
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, United States
| | - Zisis Kozlakidis
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France
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Besançon L, Peiffer-Smadja N, Segalas C, Jiang H, Masuzzo P, Smout C, Billy E, Deforet M, Leyrat C. Open science saves lives: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Med Res Methodol 2021; 21:117. [PMID: 34090351 PMCID: PMC8179078 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-021-01304-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade Open Science principles have been successfully advocated for and are being slowly adopted in different research communities. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic many publishers and researchers have sped up their adoption of Open Science practices, sometimes embracing them fully and sometimes partially or in a sub-optimal manner. In this article, we express concerns about the violation of some of the Open Science principles and its potential impact on the quality of research output. We provide evidence of the misuses of these principles at different stages of the scientific process. We call for a wider adoption of Open Science practices in the hope that this work will encourage a broader endorsement of Open Science principles and serve as a reminder that science should always be a rigorous process, reliable and transparent, especially in the context of a pandemic where research findings are being translated into practice even more rapidly. We provide all data and scripts at https://osf.io/renxy/ .
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Affiliation(s)
- Lonni Besançon
- Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Media and Information Technology, Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden
| | - Nathan Peiffer-Smadja
- Université de Paris, IAME, INSERM, Paris, F-75018 France
- National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Corentin Segalas
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Haiting Jiang
- School of Health Policy and Management, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Paola Masuzzo
- IGDORE, Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education, Box 1074, Kristinehöjdsgatan 9A, Gothenburg, 412 82 Sweden
| | - Cooper Smout
- IGDORE, Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education, Box 1074, Kristinehöjdsgatan 9A, Gothenburg, 412 82 Sweden
| | | | - Maxime Deforet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Laboratoire Jean Perrin (LJP), Paris, France
| | - Clémence Leyrat
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Inequalities in Cancer Outcomes Network, Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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38
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Hu CAA, Murphy I, Klimaj S, Reece J, Chand HS. SARS-CoV-2, Inflammatory Apoptosis, and Cytokine Storm Syndrome. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021. [DOI: 10.2174/2666958702101010022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), a novel and currently intensively studied beta coronavirus, is the causing agent of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), a highly contagious and devastating disease that has killed more than 2 million human beings since December 2019. Building on what has already been understood from studying SARS-CoV, a closely related single-strand RNA virus that set off SARS in 2002 and 2003, researchers began to learn how SARS-CoV-2 operates its vicious effects on the host cells. In essence, COVID-19 patients display hyperinflammatory and dysregulated cell death phenotypes that give a spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses. However, SARS-CoV-2 can elicit serious pathologies, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis-like multi-organ failure and even death, depending on the individual and their pre-existing condition(s). As viruses cannot reproduce independently, they hijack the machinery within the host cells and enslave them for the purpose of propagation. SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome harbors the genes that produce the protein products for manipulating host cell, viral replication, and repeating the vicious viral cycle. For counteracting the viral invasion, human cells have developed layers of defense mechanisms, such as restriction factors, Regulated Cell Death (RCD) pathways, interferon production, inflammatory response, and innate and adaptive immunity that are used to recognize and thwart viral infection. Unfortunately, some coronavirus encoded proteins are capable of attacking the host anti-viral system to achieve parasitic advantages. We reviewed the proteins of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 that possess manipulating effects on the host cell and cause tissue damage, immune cascade, cytokine production and release. We also discuss the means to restore the homeostatic balance between inflammatory response and RCD pathways and the potential targeted interventions that can be used to treat and/or prevent COVID-19.
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39
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Wang Z, Li K, Maskey AR, Huang W, Toutov AA, Yang N, Srivastava K, Geliebter J, Tiwari R, Miao M, Li X. A small molecule compound berberine as an orally active therapeutic candidate against COVID-19 and SARS: A computational and mechanistic study. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21360. [PMID: 33749932 PMCID: PMC8250068 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202001792r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has grown into a global pandemic and a major public health threat since its breakout in December 2019. To date, no specific therapeutic drug or vaccine for treating COVID-19 and SARS has been FDA approved. Previous studies suggest that berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, has shown various biological activities that may help against COVID-19 and SARS, including antiviral, anti-allergy and inflammation, hepatoprotection against drug- and infection-induced liver injury, as well as reducing oxidative stress. In particular, berberine has a wide range of antiviral activities such as anti-influenza, anti-hepatitis C, anti-cytomegalovirus, and anti-alphavirus. As an ingredient recommended in guidelines issued by the China National Health Commission for COVID-19 to be combined with other therapy, berberine is a promising orally administered therapeutic candidate against SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. The current study comprehensively evaluates the potential therapeutic mechanisms of berberine in preventing and treating COVID-19 and SARS using computational modeling, including target mining, gene ontology enrichment, pathway analyses, protein-protein interaction analysis, and in silico molecular docking. An orally available immunotherapeutic-berberine nanomedicine, named NIT-X, has been developed by our group and has shown significantly increased oral bioavailability of berberine, increased IFN-γ production by CD8+ T cells, and inhibition of mast cell histamine release in vivo, suggesting a protective immune response. We further validated the inhibition of replication of SARS-CoV-2 in lung epithelial cells line in vitro (Calu3 cells) by berberine. Moreover, the expression of targets including ACE2, TMPRSS2, IL-1α, IL-8, IL-6, and CCL-2 in SARS-CoV-2 infected Calu3 cells were significantly suppressed by NIT-X. By supporting protective immunity while inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines; inhibiting viral infection and replication; inducing apoptosis; and protecting against tissue damage, berberine is a promising candidate in preventing and treating COVID-19 and SARS. Given the high oral bioavailability and safety of berberine nanomedicine, the current study may lead to the development of berberine as an orally, active therapeutic against COVID-19 and SARS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen‐Zhen Wang
- Academy of Chinese Medical ScienceHenan University of Chinese MedicineZhengzhouChina
- Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
| | - Kun Li
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of IowaIowa CityIAUSA
| | - Anish R. Maskey
- Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
| | - Weihua Huang
- Department of PathologyNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
| | | | - Nan Yang
- Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
- General Nutraceutical TechnologyElmsfordNYUSA
| | - Kamal Srivastava
- Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
- General Nutraceutical TechnologyElmsfordNYUSA
| | - Jan Geliebter
- Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
- Department of OtolaryngologySchool of MedicineNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
| | - Raj Tiwari
- Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
- Department of OtolaryngologySchool of MedicineNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
| | - Mingsan Miao
- Academy of Chinese Medical ScienceHenan University of Chinese MedicineZhengzhouChina
| | - Xiu‐Min Li
- Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
- Department of OtolaryngologySchool of MedicineNew York Medical CollegeValhallaNYUSA
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Sly PD, Trottier BA, Bulka CM, Cormier SA, Fobil J, Fry RC, Kim KW, Kleeberger S, Kumar P, Landrigan PJ, Lodrop Carlsen KC, Pascale A, Polack F, Ruchirawat M, Zar HJ, Suk WA. The interplay between environmental exposures and COVID-19 risks in the health of children. Environ Health 2021; 20:34. [PMID: 33771185 PMCID: PMC7996114 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-021-00716-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An unusual feature of SARS-Cov-2 infection and the COVID-19 pandemic is that children are less severely affected than adults. This is especially paradoxical given the epidemiological links between poor air quality and increased COVID-19 severity in adults and that children are generally more vulnerable than adults to the adverse consequences of air pollution. OBJECTIVES To identify gaps in knowledge about the factors that protect children from severe SARS-Cov-2 infection even in the face of air pollution, and to develop a transdisciplinary research strategy to address these gaps. METHODS An international group of researchers interested in children's environmental health was invited to identify knowledge gaps and to develop research questions to close these gaps. DISCUSSION Key research questions identified include: what are the effects of SAR-Cov-2 infection during pregnancy on the developing fetus and child; what is the impact of age at infection and genetic susceptibility on disease severity; why do some children with COVID-19 infection develop toxic shock and Kawasaki-like symptoms; what are the impacts of toxic environmental exposures including poor air quality, chemical and metal exposures on innate immunity, especially in the respiratory epithelium; what is the possible role of a "dirty" environment in conveying protection - an example of the "hygiene hypothesis"; and what are the long term health effects of SARS-Cov-2 infection in early life. CONCLUSION A concerted research effort by a multidisciplinary team of scientists is needed to understand the links between environmental exposures, especially air pollution and COVID-19. We call for specific research funding to encourage basic and clinical research to understand if/why exposure to environmental factors is associated with more severe disease, why children appear to be protected, and how innate immune responses may be involved. Lessons learned about SARS-Cov-2 infection in our children will help us to understand and reduce disease severity in adults, the opposite of the usual scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter D Sly
- Children's Health and Environment Program, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Brittany A Trottier
- Superfund Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 530 Davis Drive, Durham, NC, 27709, USA
| | - Catherine M Bulka
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Stephania A Cormier
- LSU Superfund Research Program, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA
| | - Julius Fobil
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Science, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Rebecca C Fry
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Kyoung-Woong Kim
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Steven Kleeberger
- Immunity, Inflammation, and Disease Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, USA
| | | | - Philip J Landrigan
- Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, USA
| | - Karin C Lodrop Carlsen
- Division of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University of Oslo & Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Antonio Pascale
- Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | | | | | - Heather J Zar
- Dept of Paediatrics & Child Health and SA-MRC Unit on Child & Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - William A Suk
- Superfund Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 530 Davis Drive, Durham, NC, 27709, USA.
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Pederson T. Publishing coronavirology: Peering into peer(less?) review. FASEB J 2021; 34:9825-9827. [PMID: 32803811 PMCID: PMC7436724 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202001592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thoru Pederson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
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Storci G, Bonifazi F, Garagnani P, Olivieri F, Bonafè M. The role of extracellular DNA in COVID-19: Clues from inflamm-aging. Ageing Res Rev 2021; 66:101234. [PMID: 33321254 PMCID: PMC7833688 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological data convey severe prognosis and high mortality rate for COVID-19 in elderly men affected by age-related diseases. These subjects develop local and systemic hyper-inflammation, which are associated with thrombotic complications and multi-organ failure. Therefore, understanding SARS-CoV-2 induced hyper-inflammation in elderly men is a pressing need. Here we focus on the role of extracellular DNA, mainly mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and telomeric DNA (telDNA) in the modulation of systemic inflammation in these subjects. In particular, extracellular mtDNA is regarded as a powerful trigger of the inflammatory response. On the contrary, extracellular telDNA pool is estimated to be capable of inhibiting a variety of inflammatory pathways. In turn, we underpin that telDNA reservoir is progressively depleted during aging, and that it is scarcer in men than in women. We propose that an increase in extracellular mtDNA, concomitant with the reduction of the anti-inflammatory telDNA reservoir may explain hyper-inflammation in elderly male affected by COVID-19. This scenario is reminiscent of inflamm-aging, the portmanteau word that depicts how aging and aging related diseases are intimately linked to inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Storci
- Department of Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
| | | | - Paolo Garagnani
- Department of Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy; Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet at Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fabiola Olivieri
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences (DISCLIMO), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy; Center of Clinical Pathology and Regenerative Therapy, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Bonafè
- Department of Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
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Cytomegalovirus Infection and Its Relationship with Leukocyte Telomere Length: A Cross-Sectional Study. Mediators Inflamm 2021; 2021:6675353. [PMID: 33628118 PMCID: PMC7899777 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6675353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Telomeres undergo shortening with each cell division, which could be accelerated by infection. The association between virus infection and telomere length is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the putative associations between leukocyte telomere length (TL), cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in a national representative sample of noninstitutionalized population. Methods We analyzed data that was collected in a cross-sectional setting, where 3,987 participants were enrolled with available data on telomere length. The association between telomere length with previous CMV infection and CRP was analyzed using multivariable linear regression models. We further tested if obesity, measured by body mass index (BMI), and smoking could modify this relationship. Results In total, around 46% percent of the study population were men and 54% were women. Average ages were 35.1 years for men and 35.0 years for women. One unit increase of CMV antibody IgG titer was associated with -0.07 (95% confidence interval: -0.12, -0.01) unit decrease of leukocyte TL when sex was adjusted for. After additionally adjusting for BMI and smoking status, the magnitude of the association was only slightly decreased to -0.06 (95% confidence interval: -0.11, -0.01). The effect sizes were comparable after additionally adjusting for CRP. These analyses imply that previous CMV infection affects leukocyte TL through pathways other than CRP. Conclusions Previous CMV infection was associated with shorter leukocyte TL. This association was independent of CRP.
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44
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Zhou D, Borsa M, Simon AK. Hallmarks and detection techniques of cellular senescence and cellular ageing in immune cells. Aging Cell 2021; 20:e13316. [PMID: 33524238 PMCID: PMC7884036 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The ageing of the global population brings about unprecedented challenges. Chronic age‐related diseases in an increasing number of people represent an enormous burden for health and social care. The immune system deteriorates during ageing and contributes to many of these age‐associated diseases due to its pivotal role in pathogen clearance, tissue homeostasis and maintenance. Moreover, in order to develop treatments for COVID‐19, we urgently need to acquire more knowledge about the aged immune system, as older adults are disproportionally and more severely affected. Changes with age lead to impaired responses to infections, malignancies and vaccination, and are accompanied by chronic, low‐degree inflammation, which together is termed immunosenescence. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie immunosenescence, termed immune cell senescence, are mostly unknown. Cellular senescence, characterised by an irreversible cell cycle arrest, is thought to be the cause of tissue and organismal ageing. Thus, better understanding of cellular senescence in immune populations at single‐cell level may provide us with insight into how immune cell senescence develops over the life time of an individual. In this review, we will briefly introduce the phenotypic characterisation of aged innate and adaptive immune cells, which also contributes to overall immunosenescence, including subsets and function. Next, we will focus on the different hallmarks of cellular senescence and cellular ageing, and the detection techniques most suitable for immune cells. Applying these techniques will deepen our understanding of immune cell senescence and to discover potential druggable pathways, which can be modulated to reverse immune ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingxi Zhou
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Mariana Borsa
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology University of Oxford Oxford UK
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45
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Kirsch-Volders M, Fenech M. Inflammatory cytokine storms severity may be fueled by interactions of micronuclei and RNA viruses such as COVID-19 virus SARS-CoV-2. A hypothesis. MUTATION RESEARCH. REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2021; 788:108395. [PMID: 34893160 PMCID: PMC8479308 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2021.108395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In this review we bring together evidence that (i) RNA viruses are a cause of chromosomal instability and micronuclei (MN), (ii) those individuals with high levels of lymphocyte MN have a weakened immune response and are more susceptible to RNA virus infection and (iii) both RNA virus infection and MN formation can induce inflammatory cytokine production. Based on these observations we propose a hypothesis that those who harbor elevated frequencies of MN within their cells are more prone to RNA virus infection and are more likely, through combined effects of leakage of self-DNA from MN and RNA from viruses, to escalate pro-inflammatory cytokine production via the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and the Senescence Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) mechanisms to an extent that is unresolvable and therefore confers high risk of causing tissue damage by an excessive and overtly toxic immune response. The corollaries from this hypothesis are (i) those with abnormally high MN frequency are more prone to infection by RNA viruses; (ii) the extent of cytokine production and pro-inflammatory response to infection by RNA viruses is enhanced and possibly exceeds threshold levels that may be unresolvable in those with elevated MN levels in affected organs; (iii) reduction of MN frequency by improving nutrition and life-style factors increases resistance to RNA virus infection and moderates inflammatory cytokine production to a level that is immunologically efficacious and survivable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micheline Kirsch-Volders
- Laboratory for Cell Genetics, Department Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Michael Fenech
- Genome Health Foundation, North Brighton, SA, 5048, Australia; Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, SA, 5000, Australia; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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46
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Omarjee L, Perrot F, Meilhac O, Mahe G, Bousquet G, Janin A. Immunometabolism at the cornerstone of inflammaging, immunosenescence, and autoimmunity in COVID-19. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12:26263-26278. [PMID: 33361522 PMCID: PMC7803547 DOI: 10.18632/aging.202422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Inflammaging constitutes the common factor for comorbidities predisposing to severe COVID-19. Inflammaging leads to T-cell senescence, and immunosenescence is linked to autoimmune manifestations in COVID-19. As in SLE, metabolic dysregulation occurs in T-cells. Targeting this T-cell dysfunction opens the field for new therapeutic strategies to prevent severe COVID-19. Immunometabolism-mediated approaches such as rapamycin, metformin and dimethyl fumarate, may optimize COVID-19 treatment of the elderly and patients at risk for severe disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loukman Omarjee
- Vascular Medicine Department, CHU Rennes, French National Health and Medical Research (Inserm), Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) 1414, University of Rennes 1, Rennes F-35033, France
- NuMeCan Institute, Exogenous and Endogenous Stress and Pathological Responses in Hepato-Gastrointestinal Diseases (EXPRES) Team, French National Health and Medical Research (Inserm) U1241, University of Rennes 1, Rennes F-35033, France
| | | | - Olivier Meilhac
- University of Reunion Island, INSERM, UMR 1188 Reunion, Indian Ocean Diabetic Atherothrombosis Therapies (DéTROI), CHU de La Réunion, Saint-Denis de La Réunion F-97400, France
| | - Guillaume Mahe
- Vascular Medicine Department, CHU Rennes, French National Health and Medical Research (Inserm), Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) 1414, University of Rennes 1, Rennes F-35033, France
| | - Guilhem Bousquet
- AP-HP Hôpital Avicenne, Oncologie Médicale, Bobigny F-93000, France
- Sorbonne University Paris Nord, INSERM, U942, Cardiovascular Markers in Stressed Conditions, MASCOT, Bobigny F-93000, France
| | - Anne Janin
- Sorbonne University Paris Nord, INSERM, U942, Cardiovascular Markers in Stressed Conditions, MASCOT, Bobigny F-93000, France
- Department of Pathology, Paris Diderot University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris F-75010, France
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Kouidou S, Malousi A, Andreou AZ. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection: Triggering a Lethal Fight to Keep Control of the Ten-Eleven Translocase (TET)-Associated DNA Demethylation? Pathogens 2020; 9:E1006. [PMID: 33266135 PMCID: PMC7760189 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9121006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The extended and diverse interference of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in multiple host functions and the diverse associated symptoms implicate its involvement in fundamental cellular regulatory processes. The activity of ten-eleven translocase 2 (TET2) responsible for selective DNA demethylation, has been recently identified as a regulator of endogenous virus inactivation and viral invasion, possibly by proteasomal deregulation of the TET2/TET3 activities. In a recent report, we presented a detailed list of factors that can be affected by TET activity, including recognition of zinc finger protein binding sites and bimodal promoters, by enhancing the flexibility of adjacent sequences. In this review, we summarize the TET-associated processes and factors that could account for SARS-CoV-2 diverse symptoms. Moreover, we provide a correlation for the observed virus-induced symptoms that have been previously associated with TET activities by in vitro and in vitro studies. These include early hypoxia, neuronal regulation, smell and taste development, liver, intestinal, and cardiomyocyte differentiation. Finally, we propose that the high mortality of SARS-CoV-2 among adult patients, the different clinical symptoms of adults compared to children, the higher risk of patients with metabolic deregulation, and the low mortality rates among women can all be accounted for by the complex balance of the three enzymes with TET activity, which is developmentally regulated. This activity is age-dependent, related to telomere homeostasis and integrity, and associated with X chromosome inactivation via (de)regulation of the responsible XIST gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Kouidou
- Lab of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | - Andigoni Malousi
- Lab of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece;
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Batista MA, Calvo-Fortes F, Silveira-Nunes G, Camatta GC, Speziali E, Turroni S, Teixeira-Carvalho A, Martins-Filho OA, Neretti N, Maioli TU, Santos RR, Brigidi P, Franceschi C, Faria AMC. Inflammaging in Endemic Areas for Infectious Diseases. Front Immunol 2020; 11:579972. [PMID: 33262758 PMCID: PMC7688519 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.579972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunosenescence is marked by a systemic process named inflammaging along with a series of defects in the immunological activity that results in poor responses to infectious agents and to vaccination. Inflammaging, a state of low-grade chronic inflammation, usually leads to chronic inflammatory diseases and frailty in the elderly. However, some elderly escape from frailty and reach advanced age free of the consequences of inflammaging. This process has been called immunological remodeling, and it is the hallmark of healthy aging as described in the studies of centenarians in Italy. The biological markers of healthy aging are still a matter of debate, and the studies on the topic have focused on inflammatory versus remodeling processes and molecules. The sub-clinical inflammatory status associated with aging might be a deleterious event for populations living in countries where chronic infectious diseases are not prevalent. Nevertheless, in other parts of the world where they are, two possibilities may occur. Inflammatory responses may have a protective effect against these infectious agents. At the same time, the long-term consequences of protective immune responses during chronic infections may result in accelerated immunosenescence in these individuals. Therefore, the biological markers of healthy aging can vary according to environmental, cultural, and geographical settings that reflect worldwide, and in a non-biased, non-westernized perspective, the changes that we experience regarding our contacts with microorganisms and the outcomes of such contacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Andrade Batista
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Nutrição e Saúde, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Calvo-Fortes
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Nutrição e Saúde, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Silveira-Nunes
- Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Governador Valadares, Brazil
| | - Giovanna Caliman Camatta
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Nutrição e Saúde, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Elaine Speziali
- Instituto Rene Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Silvia Turroni
- Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | - Nicola Neretti
- Departament of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Tatiani Uceli Maioli
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Nutrição e Saúde, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Ribeiro Santos
- Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Patrizia Brigidi
- Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Franceschi
- Center for Biophysics, Bioinformatics, Biocomplexity, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Laboratory of Systems Biology of Healthy Aging, Department of Applied Mathematics, Lobachevsky University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Ana Maria Caetano Faria
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Nutrição e Saúde, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Epel ES. The geroscience agenda: Toxic stress, hormetic stress, and the rate of aging. Ageing Res Rev 2020; 63:101167. [PMID: 32979553 PMCID: PMC7520385 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Geroscience offers a counterpoint to the challenged pursuit of curing diseases of aging, by focusing on slowing the biological aging process for extended healthspan earlier in life. Remarkable progress has led this field toward animal trials and the next challenge lies with translation to humans. There is an emerging number of small human trials that can take advantage of new models integrating behavioral and social factors. Understanding dynamic aging mechanisms, given the powerful social determinants of aging (Crimmins, 2020) and human variability and environmental contexts (Moffitt, 2020), will be critical. Behavioral and social factors are intrinsic to aging. Toxic stressors broadly defined can lead to stress-acceleration of aging, either directly impacting aging processes or by shaping poor behavioral health, and underlie the socioeconomic disparities of aging. In contrast, hormetic stressors, acute intermittent stressors of moderate intensity, can produce stress resilience, the ability for quick recovery and possibly rejuvenation of cells and tissues. Although health research usually examines static biomarkers, aging is reflected in dynamic ability to recover from challenges pointing to new interventions and targets for examining mechanisms. A fuller model incorporating stress resilience provides innovative biobehavioral interventions, both for bolstering response to challenges, such as COVID-19, and for improving healthspan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa S Epel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, & Center for Health and Community, University of California, 3333 California St, Ste 465, San Francisco, CA, 94122, United States.
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50
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Froidure A, Mahieu M, Hoton D, Laterre PF, Yombi JC, Koenig S, Ghaye B, Defour JP, Decottignies A. Short telomeres increase the risk of severe COVID-19. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12:19911-19922. [PMID: 33104521 PMCID: PMC7655194 DOI: 10.18632/aging.104097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres are non-coding DNA sequences that protect chromosome ends and shorten with age. Short telomere length (TL) is associated with chronic diseases and immunosenescence. The main risk factor for mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is older age, but outcome is very heterogeneous among individuals of the same age group. Therefore, we hypothesized that TL influences COVID-19-related outcomes. In a prospective study, we measured TL by Flow-FISH in 70 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and compared TL distribution with our reference cohort of 491 healthy volunteers. We also correlated TL with baseline clinical and biological parameters. We stained autopsy lung tissue from six non-survivor COVID-19 patients to detect senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity, a marker of cellular aging. We found a significantly higher proportion of patients with short telomeres (<10th percentile) in the COVID-19 patients as compared to the reference cohort (P<0.001). Short telomeres were associated with a higher risk of critical disease, defined as admission to intensive care unit (ICU) or death without ICU. TL was negatively correlated with C-reactive protein and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Finally, lung tissue from patients with very short telomeres exhibit signs of senescence in structural and immune cells. Our results suggest that TL influences the severity of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Froidure
- Department of Pulmonology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Manon Mahieu
- de Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Delphine Hoton
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Pathology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre-François Laterre
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Intensive Care, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean Cyr Yombi
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sandra Koenig
- Department of Pulmonology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Benoit Ghaye
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Radiology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Philippe Defour
- de Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Laboratory Hematology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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