Detection of Antinuclear Antibodies Targeting Intracellular Signal Transduction, Metabolism, Apoptotic Processes and Cell Death in Critical COVID-19 Patients
Author | Nasarallah, Gheyath K. |
Author | Fakhroo, Aisha D. |
Author | Khan, Taushif |
Author | Cyprian, Farhan S. |
Author | Al Ali, Fatima |
Author | Ata, Manar M.A. |
Author | Taleb, Sara |
Author | Zedan, Hadeel T. |
Author | Al-Sadeq, Duaa W. |
Author | Amanullah, Fathima H. |
Author | Hssain, Ali A. |
Author | Eid, Ali H. |
Author | Abu-Raddad, Laith J. |
Author | Al-Khal, Abdullatif |
Author | Al Thani, Asmaa A. |
Author | Marr, Nico |
Author | Yassine, Hadi M. |
Available date | 2023-07-11T07:33:59Z |
Publication Date | 2022-10-29 |
Publication Name | Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases |
Identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.4084/MJHID.2022.076 |
Citation | Nasarallah, G. K., Fakhroo, A. D., Khan, T., Cyprian, F. S., Al Ali, F., Ata, M. M., ... & Yassine, H. M. (2022). Detection of antinuclear antibodies targeting intracellular signal transduction, metabolism, apoptotic processes and cell death in critical COVID-19 patients. Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases, 14(1). |
ISSN | 2035-3006 |
Abstract | Background and Objectives: The heterogeneity of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) lies within its diverse symptoms and severity, ranging from mild to lethal. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a leading cause of mortality in COVID-19 patients, characterized by a hyper cytokine storm. Autoimmunity is proposed to occur as a result of COVID-19, given the high similarity of the immune responses observed in COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases. Here, we investigate the level of autoimmune antibodies in COVID-19 patients with different severities. Results: Initial screening for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) IgG using ELISA revealed that 1.58% (2/126) and 4% (5/126) of intensive care unit (ICU) COVID-19 cases expressed strong and moderate ANA levels, respectively. An additional sample was positive with immunofluorescence assays (IFA) screening. However, all the non-ICU cases (n=273) were ANA negative using both assays. Samples positive for ANA were further confirmed with large-scale autoantibody screening by phage immunoprecipitation-sequencing (PhIP-Seq). The majority of the ANA-positive samples showed "speckled" ANA pattern by microscopy and revealed autoantibody specificities that targeted proteins involved in intracellular signal transduction, metabolism, apoptotic processes, and cell death by PhIP-Seq; further denoting reactivity to nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens. Conclusion: Our results further support the notion of routine screening for autoimmune responses in COVID-19 patients, which might help improve disease prognosis and patient management. Further, results provide compelling evidence that ANA-positive individuals should be excluded from being donors for convalescent plasma therapy in the context of COVID-19. |
Sponsor | This study was supported by funds from QNRF, grant # NPRP11S-1212-170092. |
Language | en |
Publisher | Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore |
Subject | ANA Autoimmunity Coronavirus COVID-19 ICU |
Type | Article |
Issue Number | 1 |
Volume Number | 14 |
ESSN | 2035-3006 |
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