Cell Reports Medicine (Nov 2021)

The systemic inflammatory landscape of COVID-19 in pregnancy: Extensive serum proteomic profiling of mother-infant dyads with in utero SARS-CoV-2

  • Suan-Sin Foo,
  • Mary Catherine Cambou,
  • Thalia Mok,
  • Viviana M. Fajardo,
  • Kyle L. Jung,
  • Trevon Fuller,
  • Weiqiang Chen,
  • Tara Kerin,
  • Jenny Mei,
  • Debika Bhattacharya,
  • Younho Choi,
  • Xin Wu,
  • Tian Xia,
  • Woo-Jin Shin,
  • Jessica Cranston,
  • Grace Aldrovandi,
  • Nicole Tobin,
  • Deisy Contreras,
  • Francisco J. Ibarrondo,
  • Otto Yang,
  • Shangxin Yang,
  • Omai Garner,
  • Ruth Cortado,
  • Yvonne Bryson,
  • Carla Janzen,
  • Shubhamoy Ghosh,
  • Sherin Devaskar,
  • Brenda Asilnejad,
  • Maria Elisabeth Moreira,
  • Zilton Vasconcelos,
  • Priya R. Soni,
  • L. Caroline Gibson,
  • Patricia Brasil,
  • Suzy A.A. Comhair,
  • Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami,
  • Serpil C. Erzurum,
  • Rashmi Rao,
  • Jae U. Jung,
  • Karin Nielsen-Saines

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 11
p. 100453

Abstract

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Summary: While pregnancy increases the risk for severe COVID-19, the clinical and immunological implications of COVID-19 on maternal-fetal health remain unknown. Here, we present the clinical and immunological landscapes of 93 COVID-19 mothers and 45 of their SARS-CoV-2-exposed infants through comprehensive serum proteomics profiling for >1,400 cytokines of their peripheral and cord blood specimens. Prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers NF-κB-dependent proinflammatory immune activation. Pregnant women with severe COVID-19 show increased inflammation and unique IFN-λ antiviral signaling, with elevated levels of IFNL1 and IFNLR1. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 infection re-shapes maternal immunity at delivery, altering the expression of pregnancy complication-associated cytokines, inducing MMP7, MDK, and ESM1 and reducing BGN and CD209. Finally, COVID-19-exposed infants exhibit induction of T cell-associated cytokines (IL33, NFATC3, and CCL21), while some undergo IL-1β/IL-18/CASP1 axis-driven neonatal respiratory distress despite birth at term. Our findings demonstrate COVID-19-induced immune rewiring in both mothers and neonates, warranting long-term clinical follow-up to mitigate potential health risks.

Keywords