Project description:SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy leads to an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. To determine the host response of the human placenta to SARS-CoV-2 infection, we performed RNA-Seq on placentas from COVID-19+ and COVID-19- mothers, as well as placentas that presented with non-COVID related inflammatory pathologies. We found that placentas infected by SARS-CoV-2 at term show an induction of inflammatory genes, including a robust increase in chemokine and cytokine signaling. Furthermore, when SARS-CoV-2 is detected in the placenta, placenta cell marker identity genes are lost with a concomitant increase in macrophage gene expression. Furthermore, when infected ex vivo, a strong inflammatory response and cellular de-identification is similarly observed, along with an acute increase in cell death in response to viral infection. Our data describes the inflammatory responses that occur in the placenta after SARS-CoV-2 infection both acutely and long-term, and provides a comparison with other placental inflammatory pathologies.
Project description:The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has affected millions of people worldwide and has significant implications for public health. Host transcriptomics profiling provides comprehensive understanding of how the virus interacts with host cells and how the host responds to the virus. COVID-19 disease alters the host transcriptome, affecting cellular pathways and key molecular functions. To contribute to the global effort to understand the virus’s effect on host cell transcriptome, we have generated a dataset from nasopharyngeal swabs of 35 individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 from the Campania region in Italy during the three outbreaks, with different clinical conditions. This dataset will help to elucidate the complex interactions among genes and can be useful in the development of effective therapeutic pathways