Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (Jul 2022)

GDF15 and ACE2 stratify COVID-19 patients according to severity while ACE2 mutations increase infection susceptibility

  • Margalida Torrens-Mas,
  • Catalina M. Perelló-Reus,
  • Neus Trias-Ferrer,
  • Lesly Ibargüen-González,
  • Catalina Crespí,
  • Aina Maria Galmes-Panades,
  • Aina Maria Galmes-Panades,
  • Cayetano Navas-Enamorado,
  • Andres Sanchez-Polo,
  • Javier Piérola-Lopetegui,
  • Luis Masmiquel,
  • Lorenzo Socias Crespi,
  • Carles Barcelo,
  • Marta Gonzalez-Freire

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.942951
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a persistent global pandemic with a very heterogeneous disease presentation ranging from a mild disease to dismal prognosis. Early detection of sensitivity and severity of COVID-19 is essential for the development of new treatments. In the present study, we measured the levels of circulating growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in plasma of severity-stratified COVID-19 patients and uninfected control patients and characterized the in vitro effects and cohort frequency of ACE2 SNPs. Our results show that while circulating GDF15 and ACE2 stratify COVID-19 patients according to disease severity, ACE2 missense SNPs constitute a risk factor linked to infection susceptibility.

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