Project description:Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of COVID-19 severity using the Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC microarray platform to analyze over 850,000 methylation sites, comparing COVID-19 patients during and one year after infection, using whole blood tissue.
Project description:Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) represent an emerging global crisis. However, quantifiable risk-factors for PASC and their biological associations are poorly resolved. We executed a deep multi-omic, longitudinal investigation of 309 COVID-19 patients from initial diagnosis to convalescence (2-3 months later), integrated with clinical data, and patient-reported symptoms. We resolved four PASC-anticipating risk factors at the time of initial COVID-19 diagnosis: type 2 diabetes, SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, Epstein-Barr virus viremia, and specific autoantibodies. In patients with gastrointestinal PASC, SARS-CoV-2-specific and CMV-specific CD8+ T cells exhibited unique dynamics during recovery from COVID-19. Analysis of symptom-associated immunological signatures revealed coordinated immunity polarization into four endotypes exhibiting divergent acute severity and PASC. We find that immunological associations between PASC factors diminish over time leading to distinct convalescent immune states. Detectability of most PASC factors at COVID-19 diagnosis emphasizes the importance of early disease measurements for understanding emergent chronic conditions and suggests PASC treatment strategies.
Project description:Acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is often highly inflammatory and protracted. Recent advances have established that inflammation can trigger innate immune memory and a persistent influence on hematopoietic development, through epigenetic mechanisms. However, these phenotypes and their molecular and cellular features are poorly described in humans. Here we reveal epigenomic alterations in innate immune and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) post-COVID-19, with distinct molecular programs across disease severities. Enabled by novel approaches to study hematopoiesis from peripheral blood, we find persisting HSPC epigenetic programs conveyed, for months to a year, to short-lived progeny monocytes. These epigenetic changes are associated with increased myeloid cell differentiation and inflammatory and antiviral programs. We provide insights into post-infectious HSPC and innate immune cell epigenetic alterations that are broadly relevant.
Project description:Although a substantial proportion of severe COVID-19 pneumonia survivors exhibit long-term pulmonary sequalae, the underlying mechanisms or associated local and systemic immune correlates are not known. Here, we have performed high dimensional characterization of the pathophysiological and immune traits of aged COVID-19 convalescents, and correlated the local and systemic immune profiles with pulmonary function and lung imaging. In this cohort of aged COVID-19 convalescents, chronic lung impairment was accompanied by persistent systemic inflammation and respiratory immune alterations. Detailed evaluation of the lung immune compartment revealed dysregulated respiratory CD8+ T cell responses that likely underlie the impaired lung function following acute COVID-19 during aging. Single cell transcriptomic analysis identified the potential pathogenic subsets of respiratory CD8+ T cells causing persistent tissue conditions following COVID-19. Our results have revealed key pathophysiological and immune traits that support the development of lung sequelae following SARS-CoV2 pneumonia during aging, with implications for the treatment of chronic COVID-19 symptoms.
Project description:The causative organism, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), exhibits a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations in disease-ridden patients. Differences in the severity of COVID-19 ranges from asymptomatic infections and mild cases to the severe form, leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiorgan failure with poor survival. MiRNAs can regulate various cellular processes, including proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation, by binding to the 3′UTR of target mRNAs inducing their degradation, thus serving a fundamental role in post-transcriptional repression. Alterations of miRNA levels in the blood have been described in multiple inflammatory and infectious diseases, including SARS-related coronaviruses. We used microarrays to delineate the miRNAs and snoRNAs signature in the peripheral blood of severe COVID-19 cases (n=9), as compared to mild (n=10) and asymptomatic (n=10) patients, and identified differentially expressed transcripts in severe versus asymptomatic, and others in severe versus mild COVID-19 cases. A cohort of 29 male age-matched patients were selected. All patients were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 using TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, Massachusetts), or Cobas SARS-CoV-2 Test (Roche Diagnostics, Rotkreuz, Switzerland), with a CT value < 30. Additional criterion for selection was age between 35 and 75 years. Participants were grouped into severe, mild and asymptomatic. Classifying severe cases was based on requirement of high-flow oxygen support and ICU admission (n=9). Whereas mild patients were identified based on symptoms and positive radiographic findings with pulmonary involvement (n=10). Patients with no clinical presentation were labelled as asymptomatic cases (n=10).
Project description:Acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is often highly inflammatory and protracted. Recent advances have established that inflammation can trigger innate immune memory and a persistent influence on hematopoietic development, through epigenetic mechanisms. However, these phenotypes and their molecular and cellular features are poorly described in humans. Here we reveal epigenomic alterations in innate immune and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) post-COVID-19, with distinct molecular programs across disease severities. Enabled by novel approaches to study hematopoiesis from peripheral blood, we find persisting HSPC epigenetic programs conveyed, for months to a year, to short-lived progeny monocytes. These epigenetic changes are associated with increased myeloid cell differentiation and inflammatory and antiviral programs. We provide insights into post-infectious HSPC and innate immune cell epigenetic alterations that are broadly relevant.
Project description:Acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is often highly inflammatory and protracted. Recent advances have established that inflammation can trigger innate immune memory and a persistent influence on hematopoietic development, through epigenetic mechanisms. However, these phenotypes and their molecular and cellular features are poorly described in humans. Here we reveal epigenomic alterations in innate immune and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) post-COVID-19, with distinct molecular programs across disease severities. Enabled by novel approaches to study hematopoiesis from peripheral blood, we find persisting HSPC epigenetic programs conveyed, for months to a year, to short-lived progeny monocytes. These epigenetic changes are associated with increased myeloid cell differentiation and inflammatory and antiviral programs. We provide insights into post-infectious HSPC and innate immune cell epigenetic alterations that are broadly relevant.
Project description:Acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is often highly inflammatory and protracted. Recent advances have established that inflammation can trigger innate immune memory and a persistent influence on hematopoietic development, through epigenetic mechanisms. However, these phenotypes and their molecular and cellular features are poorly described in humans. Here we reveal epigenomic alterations in innate immune and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) post-COVID-19, with distinct molecular programs across disease severities. Enabled by novel approaches to study hematopoiesis from peripheral blood, we find persisting HSPC epigenetic programs conveyed, for months to a year, to short-lived progeny monocytes. These epigenetic changes are associated with increased myeloid cell differentiation and inflammatory and antiviral programs. We provide insights into post-infectious HSPC and innate immune cell epigenetic alterations that are broadly relevant.
Project description:Immune responses in lungs of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are poorly characterized. We conducted transcriptomic, histologic and cellular profiling of post mortem COVID-19 and normal lung tissues. Two distinct immunopathological reaction patterns were identified. One pattern showed high expression of interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) and cytokines, high viral loads and limited pulmonary damage, the other pattern showed severely damaged lungs, low ISGs, low viral loads and abundant immune infiltrates. Distinct patterns of pulmonary COVID-19 immune responses correlated to hospitalization time and may guide treatment and vaccination approaches.
Project description:Acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is often highly inflammatory and protracted. Recent advances have established that inflammation can trigger innate immune memory and a persistent influence on hematopoietic development, through epigenetic mechanisms. However, these phenotypes and their molecular and cellular features are poorly described in humans. Here we reveal epigenomic alterations in innate immune and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) post-COVID-19, with distinct molecular programs across disease severities. Enabled by novel approaches to study hematopoiesis from peripheral blood, we find persisting HSPC epigenetic programs conveyed, for months to a year, to short-lived progeny monocytes. These epigenetic changes are associated with increased myeloid cell differentiation and inflammatory and antiviral programs. We provide insights into post-infectious HSPC and innate immune cell epigenetic alterations that are broadly relevant.