Journal of Inflammation Research (Sep 2021)
Alterations in the Plasma Proteome Induced by SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV Reveal Biomarkers for Disease Outcomes for COVID-19 Patients
Abstract
Ayodele Alaiya,1 Abeer Alshukairi,2 Zakia Shinwari,1 Mariam AL-Fares,3 Jawaher Alotaibi,4 Waleed AlOmaim,3 Ibtihaj Alsharif,5 Razan Bakheet,6 Layla Alharbi,5 Rabab Allam,1 Ayed Asiri,7 Ziad Memish,8 Khaldoun Alromaih,6 Maha Al-Mozaini5 1Proteomics Unit, Stem Cell and Tissue Re-Engineering Program, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 3Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 5Immunocompromised Host Research Unit, Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 6Centre for Genomic Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 7Critical Care Services, Al Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 8Research and Innovation Center, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ayodele AlaiyaProteomics Unit, Stem Cell and Tissue Re-Engineering Program, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, KFSH&RC, BOX 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi ArabiaTel +966 114424178Email [email protected] Al-MozainiImmunocompromised Host Research Unit, Department of Infection and Immunity, KFSH&RC, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaTel +966 114439632Email [email protected]: This study aimed to understand the pathophysiology of host responses to infections caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)/(COVID-19) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and to identify proteins for patient stratification with different grades of illness severity.Patients and Methods: Peripheral blood samples from 43 patients with different grades of COVID-19, 7 MERS-CoV patients admitted to the ICU, and 10 healthy subjects were analyzed using label-free quantitative liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS).Results: We identified 193 and 91 proteins that differed significantly between COVID-19 and MERS-CoV sample groups, respectively, and 49 overlapped between datasets. Only 10 proteins are diagnostic of asymptomatic cases, 12 are prognostic of recovery from severe illness, and 28 are prognostic of a fatal outcome of COVID-19. These proteins are implicated in virus-specific/related signaling networks. Notable among the top canonical pathways are humoral immunity, inflammation, acute-phase response signaling, liver X receptor/retinoid X receptor (LXR/RXR) activation, coagulation, and the complement system. Furthermore, we confirmed positive viral shedding in 11.76% of 51 additional peripheral blood samples, indicating that caution should be taken to avoid the possible risk of transfusion of infected blood products.Conclusion: We identified COVID-19 and MERS-CoV protein panels that have potential as biomarkers and might assist in the prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The identified markers further our understanding of COVID-19 disease pathophysiology and may have prognostic or therapeutic potential in predicting or managing host cell responses to human COVID-19 and MERS-CoV infections.Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, expression proteomics, biomarkers
