RESUMEN
During infection, antigen-specific T cells undergo tightly regulated developmental transitions controlled by transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. We found that the microRNA miR-31 was strongly induced by activation of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) in a pathway involving calcium and activation of the transcription factor NFAT. During chronic infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) clone 13, miR-31-deficent mice recovered from clinical disease, while wild-type mice continued to show signs of disease. This disease phenotype was explained by the presence of larger numbers of cytokine-secreting LCMV-specific CD8+ T cells in miR-31-deficent mice than in wild-type mice. Mechanistically, miR-31 increased the sensitivity of T cells to type I interferons, which interfered with effector T cell function and increased the expression of several proteins related to T cell dysfunction during chronic infection. These studies identify miR-31 as an important regulator of T cell exhaustion in chronic infection.
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Infecciones por Arenaviridae/inmunología , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/inmunología , Citocinas/inmunología , MicroARNs/inmunología , Receptores de Antígenos de Linfocitos T/inmunología , Animales , Anticuerpos Antivirales/inmunología , Infecciones por Arenaviridae/genética , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/efectos de los fármacos , Calcio/metabolismo , Inmunoprecipitación de Cromatina , Células Dendríticas/inmunología , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Citometría de Flujo , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Immunoblotting , Interferón Tipo I/farmacología , Virus de la Coriomeningitis Linfocítica/inmunología , Ratones , Ratones Noqueados , MicroARNs/genética , Factores de Transcripción NFATC/metabolismo , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la PolimerasaRESUMEN
CD4+ T cells are tightly regulated by microbiota in the intestine, but whether intestinal T cells interface with host-derived metabolites is less clear. Here, we show that CD4+ T effector (Teff) cells upregulated the xenobiotic transporter, Mdr1, in the ileum to maintain homeostasis in the presence of bile acids. Whereas wild-type Teff cells upregulated Mdr1 in the ileum, those lacking Mdr1 displayed mucosal dysfunction and induced Crohn's disease-like ileitis following transfer into Rag1-/- hosts. Mdr1 mitigated oxidative stress and enforced homeostasis in Teff cells exposed to conjugated bile acids (CBAs), a class of liver-derived emulsifying agents that actively circulate through the ileal mucosa. Blocking ileal CBA reabsorption in transferred Rag1-/- mice restored Mdr1-deficient Teff cell homeostasis and attenuated ileitis. Further, a subset of ileal Crohn's disease patients displayed MDR1 loss of function. Together, these results suggest that coordinated interaction between mucosal Teff cells and CBAs in the ileum regulate intestinal immune homeostasis.
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Miembro 1 de la Subfamilia B de Casetes de Unión a ATP/inmunología , Ácidos y Sales Biliares/inmunología , Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/inmunología , Enfermedad de Crohn/inmunología , Ileítis/inmunología , Mucosa Intestinal/inmunología , Miembro 1 de la Subfamilia B de Casetes de Unión a ATP/deficiencia , Miembro 1 de la Subfamilia B de Casetes de Unión a ATP/genética , Acridinas/farmacología , Adulto , Animales , Ácidos y Sales Biliares/metabolismo , Ácidos y Sales Biliares/farmacología , Transporte Biológico , Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/efectos de los fármacos , Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/patología , Enfermedad de Crohn/genética , Enfermedad de Crohn/patología , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Femenino , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Proteínas de Homeodominio/genética , Proteínas de Homeodominio/inmunología , Homeostasis/inmunología , Humanos , Ileítis/genética , Ileítis/patología , Íleon/inmunología , Íleon/patología , Inmunidad Mucosa , Mucosa Intestinal/patología , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones Transgénicos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estrés Oxidativo , Transducción de Señal , Tetrahidroisoquinolinas/farmacologíaRESUMEN
CTL differentiation is controlled by the crosstalk of various transcription factors and epigenetic modulators. Uncovering this process is fundamental to improving immunotherapy and designing novel therapeutic approaches. In this study, we show that polycomb repressive complex 1 subunit chromobox (Cbx)4 favors effector CTL differentiation in a murine model. Cbx4 deficiency in CTLs induced a transcriptional signature of memory cells and increased the memory CTL population during acute viral infection. It has previously been shown that besides binding to H3K27me3 through its chromodomain, Cbx4 functions as a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) E3 ligase in a SUMO-interacting motifs (SIM)-dependent way. Overexpression of Cbx4 mutants in distinct domains showed that this protein regulates CTL differentiation primarily in an SIM-dependent way and partially through its chromodomain. Our data suggest a novel role of a polycomb group protein Cbx4 controlling CTL differentiation and indicated SUMOylation as a key molecular mechanism connected to chromatin modification in this process.
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Complejo Represivo Polycomb 1 , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligasas , Animales , Ratones , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/metabolismo , Diferenciación Celular , Complejo Represivo Polycomb 1/genética , Complejo Represivo Polycomb 1/metabolismo , Proteínas del Grupo Polycomb/genética , Proteínas del Grupo Polycomb/metabolismo , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligasas/metabolismoRESUMEN
During persistent antigen stimulation, CD8(+) T cells show a gradual decrease in effector function, referred to as exhaustion, which impairs responses in the setting of tumors and infections. Here we demonstrate that the transcription factor NFAT controls the program of T cell exhaustion. When expressed in cells, an engineered form of NFAT1 unable to interact with AP-1 transcription factors diminished T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, increased the expression of inhibitory cell surface receptors, and interfered with the ability of CD8(+) T cells to protect against Listeria infection and attenuate tumor growth in vivo. We defined the genomic regions occupied by endogenous and engineered NFAT1 in primary CD8(+) T cells and showed that genes directly induced by the engineered NFAT1 overlapped with genes expressed in exhausted CD8(+) T cells in vivo. Our data show that NFAT promotes T cell anergy and exhaustion by binding at sites that do not require cooperation with AP-1.
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Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/inmunología , Anergia Clonal/genética , Factores de Transcripción NFATC/fisiología , Proteínas Recombinantes/farmacología , Factor de Transcripción AP-1/metabolismo , Animales , Células Cultivadas , Anergia Clonal/efectos de los fármacos , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/genética , Listeria monocytogenes/inmunología , Listeriosis/inmunología , Listeriosis/microbiología , Activación de Linfocitos/inmunología , Ratones , Ratones Transgénicos , Factores de Transcripción NFATC/genética , Neoplasias/inmunología , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas/genética , Receptores de Antígenos de Linfocitos T/inmunología , Proteínas Recombinantes/genéticaRESUMEN
Bacterial promoters play a crucial role in gene expression by serving as docking sites for the transcription initiation machinery. However, accurately identifying promoter regions in bacterial genomes remains a challenge due to their diverse architecture and variations. In this study, we propose MLDSPP (Machine Learning and Duplex Stability based Promoter prediction in Prokaryotes), a machine learning-based promoter prediction tool, to comprehensively screen bacterial promoter regions in 12 diverse genomes. We leveraged biologically relevant and informative DNA structural properties, such as DNA duplex stability and base stacking, and state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) strategies to gain insights into promoter characteristics. We evaluated several machine learning models, including Support Vector Machines, Random Forests, and XGBoost, and assessed their performance using accuracy, precision, recall, specificity, F1 score, and MCC metrics. Our findings reveal that XGBoost outperformed other models and current state-of-the-art promoter prediction tools, namely Sigma70pred and iPromoter2L, achieving F1-scores >95% in most systems. Significantly, the use of one-hot encoding for representing nucleotide sequences complements these structural features, enhancing our XGBoost model's predictive capabilities. To address the challenge of model interpretability, we incorporated explainable AI techniques using Shapley values. This enhancement allows for a better understanding and interpretation of the predictions of our model. In conclusion, our study presents MLDSPP as a novel, generic tool for predicting promoter regions in bacteria, utilizing original downstream sequences as nonpromoter controls. This tool has the potential to significantly advance the field of bacterial genomics and contribute to our understanding of gene regulation in diverse bacterial systems.
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Comportamiento del Uso de la Herramienta , Bacterias/genética , ADN/genética , Aprendizaje Automático , Regiones Promotoras GenéticasRESUMEN
A common result of infection is an abnormal immune response, which may be detrimental to the host. To control the infection, the immune system might undergo regulation, therefore producing an excess of either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory pathways that can lead to widespread inflammation, tissue damage, and organ failure. A dysregulated immune response can manifest as changes in differentiated immune cell populations and concentrations of circulating biomarkers. To propose an early diagnostic system that enables differentiation and identifies the severity of immune-dysregulated syndromes, we built an artificial intelligence tool that uses input data from single-cell RNA sequencing. In our results, single-cell transcriptomics successfully distinguished between mild and severe sepsis and COVID-19 infections. Moreover, by interpreting the decision patterns of our classification system, we identified that different immune cells upregulating or downregulating the expression of the genes CD3, CD14, CD16, FOSB, S100A12, and TCRɣδ can accurately differentiate between different degrees of infection. Our research has identified genes of significance that effectively distinguish between infections, offering promising prospects as diagnostic markers and providing potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
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COVID-19 , Aprendizaje Automático , RNA-Seq , Humanos , COVID-19/genética , COVID-19/virología , COVID-19/diagnóstico , RNA-Seq/métodos , Biomarcadores , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Análisis de la Célula Individual/métodos , Sepsis/genética , Sepsis/diagnóstico , Sepsis/sangre , Transcriptoma , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica/métodos , Análisis de Secuencia de ARN/métodos , Análisis de Expresión Génica de una Sola CélulaRESUMEN
Mpox (formerly Monkeypox), a zoonotic illness caused by the Mpox virus, belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. To design and develop effective antiviral therapeutics against DNA viruses, the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (DdRp) of poxviruses has emerged as a promising drug target. In the present study, we modeled the three-dimensional (3D) structure of DdRp using a template-based homology approach. After modeling, virtual screening was performed to probe the molecular interactions between 1755 Food and Drug Administration-approved small molecule drugs (≤500 molecular weight) and the DdRp of Mpox. Based on the binding affinity and molecular interaction patterns, five drugs, lumacaftor (-11.7 kcal/mol), conivaptan (-11.7 kcal/mol), betulinic acid (-11.6 kcal/mol), fluspirilene (-11.3 kcal/mol), and imatinib (-11.2 kcal/mol), have been ranked as the top drug compounds interacting with Mpox DdRp. Complexes of these shortlisted drugs with DdRp were further evaluated using state-of-the-art all-atoms molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on 200 nanoseconds followed by principal component analysis (PCA). MD simulations and PCA results revealed highly stable interactions of these small drugs with DdRp. After due validation in wet-lab using available in vitro and in vivo experiments, these repurposed drugs can be further utilized for the treatment of contagious Mpox virus. The outcome of this study may establish a solid foundation to screen repurposed and natural compounds as potential antiviral therapeutics against different highly pathogenic viruses.
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Reposicionamiento de Medicamentos , Mpox , Humanos , ARN Polimerasas Dirigidas por ADN , Simulación de Dinámica Molecular , Antivirales/farmacología , Antivirales/química , Simulación del Acoplamiento MolecularRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: SSc is a devastating autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis and obliterative vasculopathy affecting the skin and visceral organs. While the processes mediating excessive extracellular matrix deposition and fibroblast proliferation are clear, the exact link between autoimmunity and fibrosis remains elusive. Th17 cells have been proposed as critical drivers of profibrotic inflammation during SSc, but little is known about the immune components supporting their pathogenic role. Our aim was to determine cytokine responses of stimulated monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs) and to determine how they influence T-cell cytokine production in SSc. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Dendritic cells (DCs) activate and shape T cell differentiation by producing polarizing cytokines. Hence, we investigated the cytokine responses of monocyte-derived DCs (Mo-DCs) from patients with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) and healthy controls (HCs) after stimulation with toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists. Also, using co-culture assays, we analysed T cell subpopulations after contact with autologous TLR-activated Mo-DCs. RESULTS: In general, we observed an increased production of Th17-related cytokines like IL-1ß, IL-17F, IL-21 and IL-22 by SSc compared with HC Mo-DCs, with variations between lcSSc vs dcSSc and early- vs late-stage subgroups. Noticeably, we found a significant increment in IL-33 production by Mo-DCs in all SSc cases regardless of their clinical phenotype. Strikingly, T cells displayed Th2, Th17 and dual Th2-Th17 phenotypes after exposure to autologous TLR-stimulated Mo-DCs from SSc patients but not HCs. These changes were pronounced in individuals with early-stage dcSSc and less significant in the late-stage lcSSc subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that functional alterations of DCs promote immune mechanisms favouring the aberrant T cell polarization and profibrotic inflammation behind clinical SSc heterogeneity.
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Esclerodermia Sistémica , Humanos , Citocinas , Fibrosis , Células Dendríticas/patología , InflamaciónRESUMEN
This study aimed to perform a seroepidemiological survey on the prevalence of sporotrichosis among cats living in the Northern area of Buenos Aires, where a four-fold increase of Sporothrix brasiliensis infections were diagnosed during the last decade. For this purpose, an in-house indirect ELISA test sensitized with S. brasiliensis crude antigens was used. The ELISA test showed 100.0% sensitivity and 95.0% specificity. Antibodies against S. brasiliensis antigens were detected in 3.7% (9/241) of healthy cats evaluated, suggesting likely exposure or infection to this fungus. This ELISA test would be a valuable screening tool for diagnosing sporotrichosis and for seroepidemiological surveys.
S. brasiliensis is the primary cause of feline sporotrichosis in Argentina. The seroprevalence of sporotrichosis infection in urban localities of Buenos Aires province is reported for the first time. An ELISA test using S. brasiliensis crude antigens is also described.
RESUMEN
Naive CD8+ T cells, upon encountering their cognate Ag in vivo, clonally expand and differentiate into distinct cell fates, regulated by transcription factors and epigenetic modulators. Several models have been proposed to explain the differentiation of CTLs, although none fully recapitulate the experimental evidence. In this review article, we will summarize the latest research on the epigenetic regulation of CTL differentiation as well as provide a combined model that contemplates them.
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Diferenciación Celular/genética , Epigénesis Genética/inmunología , Memoria Inmunológica , Modelos Genéticos , Linfocitos T Citotóxicos/inmunología , Animales , Diferenciación Celular/inmunología , Heterogeneidad Genética , Humanos , Activación de Linfocitos , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismoRESUMEN
The transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of CD8+ T cell differentiation is critical for balancing pathogen eradication and long-term immunity by effector and memory CTLs, respectively. In this study, we demonstrate that the lysine demethylase 6b (Kdm6b) is essential for the proper generation and function of effector CD8+ T cells during acute infection and tumor eradication. We found that cells lacking Kdm6b (by either T cell-specific knockout mice or knockdown using short hairpin RNA strategies) show an enhanced generation of memory precursor and early effector cells upon acute viral infection in a cell-intrinsic manner. We also demonstrate that Kdm6b is indispensable for proper effector functions and tumor protection, and that memory CD8+ T cells lacking Kdm6b displayed a defective recall response. Mechanistically, we identified that Kdm6b, through induction of chromatin accessibility in key effector-associated gene loci, allows for the proper generation of effector CTLs. Our results pinpoint the essential function of Kdm6b in allowing chromatin accessibility in effector-associated genes, and identify Kdm6b as a potential target for therapeutics in diseases with dysregulated effector responses.
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Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/inmunología , Cromatina/inmunología , Histona Demetilasas con Dominio de Jumonji/inmunología , Animales , Células Cultivadas , Cromatina/genética , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones TransgénicosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The overall goal of this survey was to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Rwanda. METHODS: This mixed-method cross-sectional survey was conducted in five selected districts of Rwanda. Quantitative data were collected from 1,010 participants using Kobo Collect Software and the analysis was performed using SPSS and Python software. Qualitative data were specifically collected from 98 participants through Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussion (FGDs). Interview transcripts were imported into NVIVO 8 for coding and subsequent analysis. RESULTS: As per our quantitative findings, we report that from the 1,010 respondents, 99.6% reported having previously heard of Ebola, 97.2% believed that vaccination is important in combatting the disease and 93.3% of individuals reported a willingness to receive vaccination should one become available. Around 54% of the respondents were correct in identifying that the disease is of a viral origin which originates from wild animals (42.1%). When asked if they believed that Rwanda is at risk of an EVD outbreak, 90% of the respondents believe that the country is at risk of an EVD outbreak, and the cofactors *gender* and *whether people dwell in Rubavu/Rusizi* were found to significantly impact their perception of threat. As per our qualitative findings, the respondents mentioned that both geographical proximity and relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo place Rwanda at risk of developing an internal outbreak. Although the respondents seemed to be aware of the Ebola prevention behaviours, it was noted that some of them will require significant time before reintegrating into the community an EVD survivor, as they will first need assurance that the patient has fully recovered. Therefore, the qualitative findings reinforce what we originally reported in the quantitative approach to this study. CONCLUSION: Our results show that there was high EVD-related knowledge and awareness among the general population in Rwanda. However, for strong public health awareness, preparedness, and protection, a massive investment should always be made in education about EVD with a special focus on districts neighboring countries where the disease is consistently being reported.
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Fiebre Hemorrágica Ebola , Animales , Humanos , Fiebre Hemorrágica Ebola/epidemiología , Fiebre Hemorrágica Ebola/prevención & control , Rwanda/epidemiología , Estudios Transversales , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Brotes de Enfermedades/prevención & control , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection triggers various events from molecular to tissue level, which in turn is given by the intrinsic characteristics of each patient. Given the molecular diversity characteristic of each cellular phenotype, the possible cytopathic, tissue and clinical effects are difficult to predict, which determines the heterogeneity of COVID-19 symptoms. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the cytopathic effects of SARS-CoV-2 on various cell types, focusing on the development of COVID-19, which in turn may lead, in some patients, to a persistence of symptoms after recovery from the disease, a condition known as long COVID. We describe the molecular mechanisms underlying virus-host interactions, including alterations in protein expression, intracellular signaling pathways, and immune responses. In particular, the article highlights the potential impact of these cytopathies on cellular function and clinical outcomes, such as immune dysregulation, neuropsychiatric disorders, and organ damage. The article concludes by discussing future directions for research and implications for the management and treatment of COVID-19 and long COVID.
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COVID-19 , Humanos , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , Síndrome Post Agudo de COVID-19 , Peptidil-Dipeptidasa A/metabolismo , Interacciones Microbiota-HuespedRESUMEN
Impulsivity is a trait characteristic that is associated with sexual risk behavior. We examined correlates of impulsivity among 602 female sex workers (FSWs) enrolled in a sexual risk reduction intervention in Mexico (2016-2020). Impulsivity was positively associated with condomless sex with clients. Higher levels of impulsivity were associated with greater use of alcohol and heavy drugs, use of illicit drugs with clients, sexual/physical abuse history, and clinical depression. Global public health policy that supports free substance abuse treatment in combination with psychotherapeutic treatments (e.g. regulation management skills) and behavioral-focused therapy may help to reduce HIV/STI incidence in this vulnerable population.
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Infecciones por VIH , Trabajadores Sexuales , Enfermedades de Transmisión Sexual , Humanos , Femenino , Enfermedades de Transmisión Sexual/epidemiología , Infecciones por VIH/epidemiología , México/epidemiología , Conducta ImpulsivaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Archaea are a vast and unexplored domain. Bioinformatic techniques might enlighten the path to a higher quality genome annotation in varied organisms. Promoter sequences of archaea have the action of a plethora of proteins upon it. The conservation found in a structural level of the binding site of proteins such as TBP, TFB, and TFE aids RNAP-DNA stabilization and makes the archaeal promoter prone to be explored by statistical and machine learning techniques. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: In this study, experimentally verified promoter sequences of the organisms Haloferax volcanii, Sulfolobus solfataricus, and Thermococcus kodakarensis were converted into DNA duplex stability attributes (i.e. numerical variables) and were classified through Artificial Neural Networks and an in-house statistical method of classification, being tested with three forms of controls. The recognition of these promoters enabled its use to validate unannotated promoter sequences in other organisms. As a result, the binding site of basal transcription factors was located through a DNA duplex stability codification. Additionally, the classification presented satisfactory results (above 90%) among varied levels of control. CONCLUDING REMARKS: The classification models were employed to perform genomic annotation into the archaea Aciduliprofundum boonei and Thermofilum pendens, from which potential promoters have been identified and uploaded into public repositories.
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Archaea , Proteínas Arqueales , Archaea/genética , Proteínas Arqueales/química , Proteínas Arqueales/genética , Aprendizaje Automático , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Transcripción GenéticaRESUMEN
Cirrhotic patients can develop acute kidney injury (AKI), and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, renal functional evaluation is crucial in cirrhotic patients. However, serum creatinine and urea levels, as well as measured or estimated glomerular filtration rate is not reliable renal functional markers in these patients compared to other patient groups. In the present study, four original equations are designed and tested for screening chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic kidney insufficiency (CKI) in stable cirrhotic patients. MATERIAL & METHOD: estimated GFR (CKD-EPI creatinine and cystatin equations) were recorded in 175 adult stable patients suffering from cirrhosis, and these patients were classified as presenting or not CKD and CKI after evaluation by two independent nephrologists. Based on these data, the variables with the significant discriminating capability to identify CKD and CKI (based on creatinine and cystatin) were detected by applying the Student's t-test for two independent groups, later confirmed by the lambda test of Wilks, in order to obtain the renal function equations. RESULTS: CKD equation (creatinine) = 7.094238-0.043104 × CKD-EPI creatinine - 0.057537 × haematocrit. CKD equation (cystatin) = 8.375074-0.117218 × CKD-EPI cystatin. CKI equation (creatinine) = 0.428389-0.043214 × CKD-EPI creatinine +0.183051 × Child-Pugh score + 0.050162 × age (in years). CKI equation (cystatin) = 9.169579-0.139319 × CKD-EPI cystatin. CONCLUSION: Simple and reliable equations have been obtained for screening chronic kidney disease and chronic kidney insufficiency in cirrhotic patients.
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Cistatina C , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica , Adulto , Creatinina , Tasa de Filtración Glomerular , Humanos , Cirrosis Hepática/complicaciones , Cirrosis Hepática/diagnóstico , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica/complicaciones , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica/diagnósticoRESUMEN
The differentiation between influenza and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could constitute a diagnostic challenge during the ongoing winter owing to their clinical similitude. Thus, novel biomarkers are required to enable making this distinction. Here, we evaluated whether the surfactant protein D (SP-D), a collectin produced at the alveolar epithelium with known immune properties, was useful to differentiate pandemic influenza A(H1N1) from COVID-19 in critically ill patients. Our results revealed high serum SP-D levels in patients with severe pandemic influenza but not those with COVID-19. This finding was validated in a separate cohort of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 who also showed low plasma SP-D levels. However, plasma SP-D levels did not distinguish seasonal influenza from COVID-19 in mild-to-moderate disease. Finally, we found that high serum SP-D levels were associated with death and renal failure among severe pandemic influenza cases. Thus, our studies have identified SP-D as a unique biomarker expressed during severe pandemic influenza but not COVID-19.
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COVID-19/genética , Expresión Génica , Interacciones Huésped-Patógeno/genética , Subtipo H1N1 del Virus de la Influenza A , Gripe Humana/genética , Proteína D Asociada a Surfactante Pulmonar/genética , SARS-CoV-2 , Adulto , Anciano , Biomarcadores , COVID-19/sangre , COVID-19/diagnóstico , COVID-19/virología , Coinfección , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Humanos , Gripe Humana/diagnóstico , Gripe Humana/virología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pronóstico , Proteína D Asociada a Surfactante Pulmonar/sangre , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Evaluación de Síntomas , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Around 8-10% of individuals over 50â years of age present interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs), but their risk factors are uncertain. METHODS: From 817 individuals recruited in our lung ageing programme at the Mexican National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, 80 (9.7%) showed ILAs and were compared with 564 individuals of the same cohort with normal high-resolution computed tomography to evaluate demographic and functional differences, and with 80 individuals randomly selected from the same cohort for biomarkers. We evaluated MUC5B variant rs35705950, telomere length, and serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-12, MMP-13, interleukin (IL)-6, surfactant protein (SP)-D, α-Klotho and resistin. RESULTS: Individuals with ILAs were usually males (p<0.005), older than controls (p<0.0001), smokers (p=0.01), with a greater frequency of MUC5B rs35705950 (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3-9.4; p=0.01), and reduced diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide and oxygen saturation. Resistin, IL-6, SP-D, MMP-1, MMP-7 and MMP-13 were significantly increased in individuals with ILAs. Resistin (12±5 versus 9±4â ng·mL-1; p=0.0005) and MMP-13 (357±143 versus 298±116â pg·mL-1; p=0.004) were the most increased biomarkers. On follow-up (24±18â months), 18 individuals showed progression which was associated with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (OR 4.1, 95% CI 1.2-12.9; p=0.02) and in females with diabetes mellitus (OR 5.3, 95% CI 1.0-27.4; p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Around 10% of respiratory asymptomatic individuals enrolled in our lung ageing programme show ILAs. Increased serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory molecules and MMPs are associated with ILAs.