Key result
SARS-CoV-2 infection linked to upregulated cardiac DNA damage pathways, distinct from pH1N1 influenza.
Why the study?
SARS-CoV-2 is associated with acute and long-term cardiovascular disease, but the underlying molecular changes governing this remain unknown.
Does SARS-CoV-2 infection induce distinct transcriptomic changes in cardiac tissue compared to pH1N1 influenza and uninfected controls?
Observational (n=15)
Does SARS-CoV-2 infection induce distinct transcriptomic changes in cardiac tissue compared to pH1N1 influenza and uninfected controls?
SARS-CoV-2 infection induces DNA damage and repair pathways in cardiac tissue, suggesting a distinct mechanism of cardiac injury compared to the inflammatory response seen in influenza.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support DNA damage pathways in COVID-19 cardiac injury; hypothesis-generating and distinct from influenza responses, needing validation.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is known to present with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary organ complications. In comparison with the 2009 pandemic (pH1N1), SARS-CoV-2 infection is likely to lead to more severe disease, with multi-organ effects, including cardiovascular disease. SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with acute and long-term cardiovascular disease, but the molecular changes that govern this remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the host transcriptome landscape of cardiac tissues collected at rapid autopsy from seven SARS-CoV-2, two pH1N1, and six control patients using targeted spatial transcriptomics approaches. Although SARS-CoV-2 was not detected in cardiac tissue, host transcriptomics showed upregulation of genes associated with DNA damage and repair, heat shock, and M1-like macrophage infiltration in the cardiac tissues of COVID-19 patients. The DNA damage present in the SARS-CoV-2 patient samples, were further confirmed by γ-H2Ax immunohistochemistry. In comparison, pH1N1 showed upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes, in particular interferon and complement pathways, when compared with COVID-19 patients. These data demonstrate the emergence of distinct transcriptomic profiles in cardiac tissues of SARS-CoV-2 and pH1N1 influenza infection supporting the need for a greater understanding of the effects on extra-pulmonary organs, including the cardiovascular system of COVID-19 patients, to delineate the immunopathobiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and long term impact on health.
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Kulasinghe et al. (2022) conducted an observational in COVID-19 and pH1N1 influenza (n=15). SARS-CoV-2 infection vs. pH1N1 influenza infection and uninfected controls was evaluated on Differential gene expression in cardiac tissues. SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with upregulation of DNA damage and repair genes in cardiac tissue, distinct from the interferon-driven response seen in pH1N1 influenza.
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