Exploiting Signal Joint T Cell Receptor Excision Circle to Investigate the Impact of COVID-19 and Autoimmune Diseases on Age Prediction and Immunosenescence
Amina A. Farag,
Taghrid G. Kharboush,
Noha H. Ibrahim,
Mohamed Darwish,
Iman M. Fawzy,
Hanaa El-Sayed Bayomy,
Dina Saad Abdelmotaleb,
Shaza Abdul Basset Abdul Basset,
Amal M. Abdel-Kareim,
Mohammed Al mohaini,
Inas A. Ahmed,
Haidy M. Fakher
Affiliations
Amina A. Farag
Department of Forensic Medicine & Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Taghrid G. Kharboush
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Noha H. Ibrahim
Department of Rheumatology, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Mohamed Darwish
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Iman M. Fawzy
Mansoura Central Laboratories, Ministry of Health, Mansoura 35511, Egypt
Hanaa El-Sayed Bayomy
Department of Public Health & Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Dina Saad Abdelmotaleb
Department of Clinical and Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Shaza Abdul Basset Abdul Basset
Department of Rheumatology, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Amal M. Abdel-Kareim
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Mohammed Al mohaini
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Alahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Inas A. Ahmed
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Haidy M. Fakher
Department of Forensic Medicine & Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
Signal joint T cell receptor excision circles (sjTRECs) are a promising marker for age estimation and immunosenescence in different ethnic groups. Several limitations are expected to overshadow their use as accurate markers for age prediction. The current study was conducted to determine the influence of immunologic disorders, such as autoimmune diseases and COVID-19, on the accuracy of sjTRECs as molecular markers for age estimation and immunosenescence among living Egyptians. Peripheral blood sjTRECs level was measured by qPCR in 90 autoimmune patients, 58 COVID-19 patients, and 85 healthy controls. The mean dCt values were significantly (p = 0.0002) different between the three groups, with the highest values in healthy subjects, followed by autoimmune and COVID-19 patients. A significant negative correlation was identified between the sjTRECs levels and ages in all studied cases. There were significant positive correlations between chronological age and predicted age for healthy individuals, autoimmune, and COVID-19 patients with mean absolute deviations (MAD) of 9.40, 11.04, and 9.71, respectively. The two patients’ groups exhibited early immunosenescence, which was more noticeable among the young adults with COVID-19 and autoimmune patients of age range (18–49 years). Autoimmunity may represent a critical factor impacting the accuracy of sjTRECs quantitation for age prediction.
