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Murine Model of Long- COVID19 following SARS-CoV-2 Variant Infection

ABSTRACT: Viral variant is one known risk factor associated with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), yet the pathogenesis is largely unknown. We studied SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant-induced PASC in K18-hACE2 mice. The virus replicated productively, induced robust inflammatory responses in lung and brain tissues, and caused weight loss and mortality during the acute infection. Longitudinal behavior studies, in surviving mice up to 4 months post-acute infection, revealed persistent abnormalities in neuropsychiatric state and motor behaviors, while reflex and sensory functions recovered over time. Surviving mice showed no detectable viral RNA in the brain and minimal neuroinflammation post-acute infection. Transcriptome analysis revealed persistent activation of immune pathways, including humoral responses, complement, and phagocytosis, and reduced levels of genes associated with ataxia telangiectasia, impaired cognitive function and memory recall, and neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. Furthermore, surviving mice maintained potent T helper 1 prone cellular immune responses and high neutralizing antibodies in the periphery for months post-acute infection. Overall, infection in K18-hACE2 mice recapitulates the persistent clinical symptoms reported in long COVID patients.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE260625 | GEO | 2024/04/15

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Rapid emergence of antigenic distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants implies a greater risk of reinfection as viruses can escape neutralizing antibodies induced by vaccination or previous viral exposure. Disease severity during COVID-19 depends on many variables such as age-related comorbidities, host immune status and genetic variation. The host immune response during infection with SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to disease severity, which can range from asymptomatic to severe with fatal outcome. Furthermore, the extent of host immune response activation may rely on underlying genetic predisposition for disease or protection. To address these questions, we performed immune profiling studies in mice with different genetic backgrounds - transgenic K18-hACE2 and wild-type 129S1 mice – subjected to reinfection with the severe disease-causing SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351 variant, 30 days after experimental milder BA.1 infection. BA.1 preinfection conferred protection against B.1.351-induced morbidity in K18-hACE2 mice but aggravated disease in 129S1 mice. We found that he cytokine/chemokine profile in B.1.351 re-infected 129S1mice is similar to that during severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans and is characterized by a much higher level of IL-10, IL-1β, IL-18 and IFN-γ , whereas in B.1.351 re-infected K18-hACE2 mice, the cytokine profile echoes the signature of naïve mice undergoing viral infection for the first time. Interestingly, the enhanced pathology observed in 129S1 mice upon reinfection cannot be attributed to a less efficient induction of adaptive immune responses to the initial BA.1 infection, as both K18-hACE2 and 129S1 mice exhibited similar B and T cell responses at 30 DPI against BA.1, with similar anti-BA.1 or B.1.351 spike-specific ELISA binding titers, levels of germinal center B-cells, and SARS-CoV-2-Spike specific tissue-resident T-cells. Long-term effects of BA.1 infection are associated with differential transcriptional changes in bronchoalveolar lavage-derived CD11c+ immune cells from K18-hACE2 and 129S1, with K18-hACE2 CD11c+ cells showing a strong antiviral defense gene expression profile whereas 129S1 CD11c+ cells showed a more pro-inflammatory response. In conclusion, initial infection with BA.1 induces cross-reactive adaptive immune responses in both K18-hACE2 and 129S1 mice, however the different disease outcome of reinfection seems to be driven by differential responses of CD11c+ cells in the alveolar space.

Project description:SARS-CoV2 infection results in clinically heterogeneous manifestations that are partially driven by complex longitudinal interactions with the immune system. The public health burden of mild COVID-19 is massive given the >100 million infected worldwide, but most research has focused on severe and fatal COVID-19. We recruited a mild COVID-19 cohort for multimodal immunophenotyping of single immune cells (scRNAseq, scATACseq, flow cytometry), serum proteins, virus-specific cellular and humoral immune responses, and clinical annotation from early acute infection to convalescence. Samples were acquired longitudinally from early acute infection before 15 days to >100 days post-symptom onset. Comparison to uninfected controls revealed marked immune activation consistent with acute response to viral infection at 15 days post-symptom onset with stronger inflammatory responses in older (>=40) compared to younger (<40) participants. Type I, II, and III interferon responses were most consistently upregulated in nearly all PBMC subsets. Plasmablasts were expanded in early infection with signatures of active IFNL and IFNG signaling, linking early inflammation and IFN responses to control of viral replication via antibodies. Longitudinal models of scRNAseq confirmed most inflammatory pathways decreased over time, including type I and II IFN signaling, as well as signaling by innate danger sensors (TLR, RIG-I) that detect viral replication. By contrast, genes with increasing expression over time were enriched for EMT and wound healing pathways. Most participants showed consistent decay of inflammatory signatures by convalescence at >d 30 post-symptom onset except those presenting with PASC. Despite similar virus-specific adaptive immune responses between post-acute sequelae PASC and recovered convalescent participants, PASC participants showed persistent serum cytokine and chemokine differences including elevated IL5, TNF, IL-12p70, and soluble CD28 at >30 d post-symptom onset. scRNAseq, scATACseq, and network analyses provided more signs of persistent inflammatory activation in multiple cell types, with multimodal evidence pointing to increased activity of innate cells (CD14 monocytes, DCs) and effector T cells (CD4 TEM, CD8 TEMRA). Cytokines at day 7 PSO were highly correlated with and predictive of both virus-specific IgG and neutralizing antibody titers. Integrative network analyses defined the most enriched ligand-receptor pathways across PBMC subsets including LTA/TNF , TNF, and IFNg in early infection, and these also showed signs of persistent activation in PASC. Common downstream targets of these pathways in PASC point to novel therapeutic targets and mechanistic hypotheses, including IL-1Ꞵ, AP-1, ZFP36/TTP, and CEBP/ꞵ. These findings revealed dynamics of immune activation and critical early signals correlated with adaptive immune responses. Serum protein signatures predicting antibody responses and correlating with PASC may provide opportunities for enhanced immunomonitoring and personalized treatment.

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Murine Model of Long- COVID19 following SARS-CoV-2 Variant Infection

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