|
1
|
Qin R, Kurz E, Chen S, Zeck B, Chiribogas L, Jackson D, Herchen A, Attia T, Carlock M, Rapkiewicz A, Bar-Sagi D, Ritchie B, Ross TM, Mahal LK. α2,6-Sialylation Is Upregulated in Severe COVID-19, Implicating the Complement Cascade. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:2348-2361. [PMID: 36219583 PMCID: PMC9578644 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying COVID-19 severity is desperately needed in current times. Although hyper-inflammation drives severe COVID-19, precise mechanisms triggering this cascade and what role glycosylation might play therein are unknown. Here we report the first high-throughput glycomic analysis of COVID-19 plasma samples and autopsy tissues. We find that α2,6-sialylation is upregulated in the plasma of patients with severe COVID-19 and in autopsied lung tissue. This glycan motif is enriched on members of the complement cascade (e.g., C5, C9), which show higher levels of sialylation in severe COVID-19. In the lung tissue, we observe increased complement deposition, associated with elevated α2,6-sialylation levels, corresponding to elevated markers of poor prognosis (IL-6) and fibrotic response. We also observe upregulation of the α2,6-sialylation enzyme ST6GAL1 in patients who succumbed to COVID-19. Our work identifies a heretofore undescribed relationship between sialylation and complement in severe COVID-19, potentially informing future therapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Qin
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Emma Kurz
- Department
of Cell Biology, NYU Grossman School of
Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, United
States
| | - Shuhui Chen
- Department
of Chemistry, Biomedical Research Institute, New York University, New York, New York10003, United States
| | - Briana Zeck
- Center
for Biospecimen Research and Development, NYU Langone, New York, New York 10016, United
States
| | - Luis Chiribogas
- Center
for Biospecimen Research and Development, NYU Langone, New York, New York 10016, United
States
| | - Dana Jackson
- University
of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada
| | - Alex Herchen
- University
of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada
| | - Tyson Attia
- University
of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada
| | - Michael Carlock
- Center for
Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - Amy Rapkiewicz
- Department
of Pathology, NYU Long Island School of
Medicine, Mineola, New York 11501, United
States
| | - Dafna Bar-Sagi
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, United States
| | - Bruce Ritchie
- University
of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada
| | - Ted M. Ross
- Center for
Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - Lara K. Mahal
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Qin R, Kurz E, Chen S, Zeck B, Chiribogas L, Jackson D, Herchen A, Attia T, Carlock M, Rapkiewicz A, Bar-Sagi D, Ritchie B, Ross TM, Mahal LK. α2,6-Sialylation is Upregulated in Severe COVID-19 Implicating the Complement Cascade. medRxiv 2022:2022.06.06.22275981. [PMID: 35702159 PMCID: PMC9196116 DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.06.22275981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Better understanding of the mechanisms of COVID-19 severity is desperately needed in current times. Although hyper-inflammation drives severe COVID-19, precise mechanisms triggering this cascade and what role glycosylation might play therein is unknown. Here we report the first high-throughput glycomic analysis of COVID-19 plasma samples and autopsy tissues. We find α2,6-sialylation is upregulated in plasma of patients with severe COVID-19 and in the lung. This glycan motif is enriched on members of the complement cascade, which show higher levels of sialylation in severe COVID-19. In the lung tissue, we observe increased complement deposition, associated with elevated α2,6-sialylation levels, corresponding to elevated markers of poor prognosis (IL-6) and fibrotic response. We also observe upregulation of the α2,6-sialylation enzyme ST6GAL1 in patients who succumbed to COVID-19. Our work identifies a heretofore undescribed relationship between sialylation and complement in severe COVID-19, potentially informing future therapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Qin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Emma Kurz
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 550 1st Avenue, New York, New York, USA
| | - Shuhui Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Biomedical Research Institute, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Briana Zeck
- Center for Biospecimen Research and Development, NYU Langone, New York, New York, USA
| | - Luis Chiribogas
- Center for Biospecimen Research and Development, NYU Langone, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dana Jackson
- University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alex Herchen
- University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Tyson Attia
- University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Michael Carlock
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Amy Rapkiewicz
- Department of Pathology, NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, USA
| | - Dafna Bar-Sagi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Bruce Ritchie
- University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ted M. Ross
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Lara K. Mahal
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| |
Collapse
|