1
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Singh AK, Wang R, Lombardo KA, Praharaj M, Bullen CK, Um P, Gupta M, Srikrishna G, Davis S, Komm O, Illei PB, Ordonez AA, Bahr M, Huang J, Gupta A, Psoter KJ, Creisher PS, Li M, Pekosz A, Klein SL, Jain SK, Bivalacqua TJ, Yegnasubramanian S, Bishai WR. Intravenous BCG vaccination reduces SARS-CoV-2 severity and promotes extensive reprogramming of lung immune cells. iScience 2023; 26:107733. [PMID: 37674985 PMCID: PMC10477068 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) confers heterologous immune protection against viral infections and has been proposed as vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2). Here, we tested intravenous BCG vaccination against COVID-19 using the golden Syrian hamster model. BCG vaccination conferred a modest reduction on lung SCV2 viral load, bronchopneumonia scores, and weight loss, accompanied by a reversal of SCV2-mediated T cell lymphopenia, and reduced lung granulocytes. BCG uniquely recruited immunoglobulin-producing plasma cells to the lung suggesting accelerated local antibody production. BCG vaccination also recruited elevated levels of Th1, Th17, Treg, CTLs, and Tmem cells, with a transcriptional shift away from exhaustion markers and toward antigen presentation and repair. Similarly, BCG enhanced recruitment of alveolar macrophages and reduced key interstitial macrophage subsets, that show reduced IFN-associated gene expression. Our observations indicate that BCG vaccination protects against SCV2 immunopathology by promoting early lung immunoglobulin production and immunotolerizing transcriptional patterns among key myeloid and lymphoid populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alok K. Singh
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rulin Wang
- Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kara A. Lombardo
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Monali Praharaj
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - C. Korin Bullen
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter Um
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Manish Gupta
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Geetha Srikrishna
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Stephanie Davis
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Oliver Komm
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter B. Illei
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alvaro A. Ordonez
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Melissa Bahr
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joy Huang
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anuj Gupta
- Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin J. Psoter
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Patrick S. Creisher
- Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Maggie Li
- Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew Pekosz
- Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sabra L. Klein
- Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sanjay K. Jain
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Trinity J. Bivalacqua
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - William R. Bishai
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
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2
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Brown B, Ojha V, Fricke I, Al-Sheboul SA, Imarogbe C, Gravier T, Green M, Peterson L, Koutsaroff IP, Demir A, Andrieu J, Leow CY, Leow CH. Innate and Adaptive Immunity during SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Biomolecular Cellular Markers and Mechanisms. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:408. [PMID: 36851285 PMCID: PMC9962967 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020408] [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: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was caused by a positive sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, other human coronaviruses (hCoVs) exist. Historical pandemics include smallpox and influenza, with efficacious therapeutics utilized to reduce overall disease burden through effectively targeting a competent host immune system response. The immune system is composed of primary/secondary lymphoid structures with initially eight types of immune cell types, and many other subtypes, traversing cell membranes utilizing cell signaling cascades that contribute towards clearance of pathogenic proteins. Other proteins discussed include cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complexes (MHC), pleiotropic interleukins (IL), and chemokines (CXC). The historical concepts of host immunity are the innate and adaptive immune systems. The adaptive immune system is represented by T cells, B cells, and antibodies. The innate immune system is represented by macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, and the complement system. Other viruses can affect and regulate cell cycle progression for example, in cancers that include human papillomavirus (HPV: cervical carcinoma), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV: lymphoma), Hepatitis B and C (HB/HC: hepatocellular carcinoma) and human T cell Leukemia Virus-1 (T cell leukemia). Bacterial infections also increase the risk of developing cancer (e.g., Helicobacter pylori). Viral and bacterial factors can cause both morbidity and mortality alongside being transmitted within clinical and community settings through affecting a host immune response. Therefore, it is appropriate to contextualize advances in single cell sequencing in conjunction with other laboratory techniques allowing insights into immune cell characterization. These developments offer improved clarity and understanding that overlap with autoimmune conditions that could be affected by innate B cells (B1+ or marginal zone cells) or adaptive T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and other pathologies. Thus, this review starts with an introduction into host respiratory infection before examining invaluable cellular messenger proteins and then individual immune cell markers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ingo Fricke
- Independent Immunologist and Researcher, 311995 Lamspringe, Germany
| | - Suhaila A Al-Sheboul
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, International School of Medicine, Medipol University-Istanbul, Istanbul 34810, Turkey
| | | | - Tanya Gravier
- Independent Researcher, MPH, San Francisco, CA 94131, USA
| | | | | | | | - Ayça Demir
- Faculty of Medicine, Afyonkarahisar University, Istanbul 03030, Turkey
| | - Jonatane Andrieu
- Faculté de Médecine, Aix–Marseille University, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Chiuan Yee Leow
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, USM, Penang 11800, Malaysia
| | - Chiuan Herng Leow
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, USM, Penang 11800, Malaysia
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3
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Hoang TN, Viox EG, Upadhyay AA, Strongin Z, Tharp GK, Pino M, Nchioua R, Hirschenberger M, Gagne M, Nguyen K, Harper JL, Marciano S, Boddapati AK, Pellegrini KL, Tisoncik-Go J, Whitmore LS, Karunakaran KA, Roy M, Kirejczyk S, Curran EH, Wallace C, Wood JS, Connor-Stroud F, Kasturi SP, Levit RD, Gale M, Vanderford TH, Silvestri G, Busman-Sahay K, Estes JD, Vaccari M, Douek DC, Sparrer KM, Kirchhoff F, Johnson RP, Schreiber G, Bosinger SE, Paiardini M. Modulation of type I interferon responses potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and inflammation in rhesus macaques. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.10.21.512606. [PMID: 36324810 PMCID: PMC9628196 DOI: 10.1101/2022.10.21.512606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Type-I interferons (IFN-I) are critical mediators of innate control of viral infections, but also drive recruitment of inflammatory cells to sites of infection, a key feature of severe COVID-19. Here, and for the first time, IFN-I signaling was modulated in rhesus macaques (RMs) prior to and during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection using a mutated IFNα2 (IFN-modulator; IFNmod), which has previously been shown to reduce the binding and signaling of endogenous IFN-I. In SARS-CoV-2-infected RMs, IFNmod reduced both antiviral and inflammatory ISGs. Notably, IFNmod treatment resulted in a potent reduction in (i) SARS-CoV-2 viral load in Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), upper airways, lung, and hilar lymph nodes; (ii) inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and CD163+MRC1-inflammatory macrophages in BAL; and (iii) expression of Siglec-1, which enhances SARS-CoV-2 infection and predicts disease severity, on circulating monocytes. In the lung, IFNmod also reduced pathogenesis and attenuated pathways of inflammasome activation and stress response during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study, using an intervention targeting both IFN-α and IFN-β pathways, shows that excessive inflammation driven by type 1 IFN critically contributes to SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis in RMs, and demonstrates the potential of IFNmod to limit viral replication, SARS-CoV-2 induced inflammation, and COVID-19 severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy N. Hoang
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Elise G. Viox
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Amit A. Upadhyay
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Zachary Strongin
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Gregory K. Tharp
- Emory NPRC Genomics Core Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Maria Pino
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Rayhane Nchioua
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Matthew Gagne
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kevin Nguyen
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Justin L. Harper
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Shir Marciano
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100 Israel
| | - Arun K. Boddapati
- Emory NPRC Genomics Core Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Kathryn L. Pellegrini
- Emory NPRC Genomics Core Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Jennifer Tisoncik-Go
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington School of Medicine, and the Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Leanne S. Whitmore
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington School of Medicine, and the Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Kirti A. Karunakaran
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Melissa Roy
- Division of Pathology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Shannon Kirejczyk
- Division of Pathology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Elizabeth H. Curran
- Division of Pathology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Chelsea Wallace
- Division of Animal Resources, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Jennifer S. Wood
- Division of Animal Resources, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Fawn Connor-Stroud
- Division of Animal Resources, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Sudhir P. Kasturi
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Rebecca D. Levit
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Michael Gale
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington School of Medicine, and the Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Thomas H. Vanderford
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Guido Silvestri
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,Division of Pathology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Kathleen Busman-Sahay
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Jacob D. Estes
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA,Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Monica Vaccari
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Daniel C. Douek
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Frank Kirchhoff
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - R. Paul Johnson
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Gideon Schreiber
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100 Israel
| | - Steven E. Bosinger
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,Emory NPRC Genomics Core Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA,Correspondence to: (M.P; Lead Contact); (S.E.B.)
| | - Mirko Paiardini
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,Division of Pathology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA,Correspondence to: (M.P; Lead Contact); (S.E.B.)
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4
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Singh AK, Wang R, Lombardo KA, Praharaj M, Bullen CK, Um P, Davis S, Komm O, Illei PB, Ordonez AA, Bahr M, Huang J, Gupta A, Psoter KJ, Jain SK, Bivalacqua TJ, Yegnasubramanian S, Bishai WR. Dynamic single-cell RNA sequencing reveals BCG vaccination curtails SARS-CoV-2 induced disease severity and lung inflammation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.03.15.484018. [PMID: 35313583 PMCID: PMC8936112 DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.15.484018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 continues to exact a toll on human health despite the availability of several vaccines. Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) has been shown to confer heterologous immune protection against viral infections including COVID-19 and has been proposed as vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2). Here we tested intravenous BCG vaccination against COVID-19 using the golden Syrian hamster model together with immune profiling and single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). We observed that BCG reduced both lung SCV2 viral load and bronchopneumonia. This was accompanied by an increase in lung alveolar macrophages, a reversal of SCV2-mediated T cell lymphopenia, and reduced lung granulocytes. Single cell transcriptome profiling showed that BCG uniquely recruits immunoglobulin-producing plasma cells to the lung suggesting accelerated antibody production. BCG vaccination also recruited elevated levels of Th1, Th17, Treg, CTLs, and Tmem cells, and differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis showed a transcriptional shift away from exhaustion markers and towards antigen presentation and repair. Similarly, BCG enhanced lung recruitment of alveolar macrophages and reduced key interstitial macrophage subsets, with both cell-types also showing reduced IFN-associated gene expression. Our observations indicate that BCG vaccination protects against SCV2 immunopathology by promoting early lung immunoglobulin production and immunotolerizing transcriptional patterns among key myeloid and lymphoid populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alok K. Singh
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rulin Wang
- Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kara A. Lombardo
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Monali Praharaj
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - C. Korin Bullen
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter Um
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Stephanie Davis
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Oliver Komm
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter B. Illei
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alvaro A. Ordonez
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Melissa Bahr
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Joy Huang
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anuj Gupta
- Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin J. Psoter
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sanjay K. Jain
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Trinity J. Bivalacqua
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - William R. Bishai
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
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5
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Vo T, Paudel K, Choudhary I, Patial S, Saini Y. Ozone exposure upregulates the expression of host susceptibility protein TMPRSS2 to SARS-CoV-2. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1357. [PMID: 35079032 PMCID: PMC8789794 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-04906-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus and an etiologic agent for the current global health emergency, causes acute infection of the respiratory tract leading to severe disease and significant mortality. Ever since the start of SARS-CoV-2, also known as the COVID-19 pandemic, countless uncertainties have been revolving around the pathogenesis and epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. While air pollution has been shown to be strongly correlated to increased SARS-CoV-2 morbidity and mortality, whether environmental pollutants such as ground-level ozone affects the susceptibility of individuals to SARS-CoV-2 is not yet established. To investigate the impact of ozone inhalation on the expression levels of signatures associated with host susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, we analyzed lung tissues collected from mice that were sub-chronically exposed to air or 0.8 ppm ozone for three weeks (4 h/night, 5 nights/week), and analyzed the expression of signatures associated with host susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cells is dependent on the binding of the virus to the host cellular receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2), and its subsequent proteolytic priming by the host-derived protease, transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2). The Ace2 transcripts were significantly elevated in the parenchyma, but not in the extrapulmonary airways and alveolar macrophages, from ozone-exposed mice. The TMPRSS2 protein and Tmprss2 transcripts were significantly elevated in the extrapulmonary airways, parenchyma, and alveolar macrophages from ozone-exposed mice. A significant proportion of additional known SARS-CoV-2 host susceptibility genes were upregulated in alveolar macrophages and parenchyma from ozone-exposed mice. Our data indicate that the unhealthy levels of ozone in the environment may predispose individuals to severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Given the severity of this pandemic and the challenges associated with direct testing of host-environment interactions in clinical settings, we believe that this ozone exposure-based study informs the scientific community of the potentially detrimental effects of the ambient ozone levels in determining the host susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thao Vo
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, 1909 Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Kshitiz Paudel
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, 1909 Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Ishita Choudhary
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, 1909 Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Sonika Patial
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, 1909 Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Yogesh Saini
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, 1909 Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.
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