Signatures of mast cell activation are associated with severe COVID-19.
Janessa TanDanielle E AndersonAbhay P S RathoreAled O'NeillChinmay Kumar MantriWilfried A A SaronCheryl LeeChu Wern CuiAdrian E Z KangRandy FooShirin KalimuddinJenny G LowLena HoPaul Anantharajah TambyahThomas W BurkeChristopher W WoodsKuan Rong ChanJorn A KarhausenAshley Lauren St JohnPublished in: medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences (2021)
Lung inflammation is a hallmark of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in severely ill patients and the pathophysiology of disease is thought to be immune-mediated. Mast cells (MCs) are polyfunctional immune cells present in the airways, where they respond to certain viruses and allergens, often promoting inflammation. We observed widespread degranulation of MCs during acute and unresolved airway inflammation in SARS-CoV-2-infected mice and non-human primates. In humans, transcriptional changes in patients requiring oxygen supplementation also implicated cells with a MC phenotype. MC activation in humans was confirmed, through detection of the MC-specific protease, chymase, levels of which were significantly correlated with disease severity. These results support the association of MC activation with severe COVID-19, suggesting potential strategies for intervention.
Keyphrases
- coronavirus disease
- sars cov
- end stage renal disease
- ejection fraction
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- newly diagnosed
- oxidative stress
- prognostic factors
- gene expression
- randomized controlled trial
- endothelial cells
- peritoneal dialysis
- patient reported outcomes
- liver failure
- drug induced
- intensive care unit
- insulin resistance
- climate change
- sensitive detection
- human health
- mechanical ventilation
- loop mediated isothermal amplification