SARS-CoV-2 infects blood monocytes to activate NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasomes, pyroptosis and cytokine release.

ABSTRACT: SARS-CoV-2 causes acute respiratory distress that can progress to multiorgan failure and death in a minority of patients. Although severe COVID-19 disease is linked to exuberant inflammation, how SARS-CoV-2 triggers inflammation is not understood. Monocytes and macrophages are sentinel immune cells in the blood and tissue, respectively, that sense invasive infection to form inflammasomes that activate caspase-1 and gasdermin D (GSDMD) pores, leading to inflammatory death (pyroptosis) and processing and release of IL-1 family cytokines, potent inflammatory mediators. Here we show that expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) linked to higher GSDMD expression increase the risk of severe COVID-19 disease (odds ratio, 1.3, p<0.005). We find that about 10% of blood monocytes in COVID-19 patie

SUBMITTER: Junqueira C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8366805 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature