Aging whole blood transcriptome reveals candidate genes for SARS-CoV-2-related vascular and immune alterations.

ABSTRACT: The risk of severe COVID-19 increases with age as older patients are at highest risk. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interacts with blood components during aging. We investigated the whole blood transcriptome from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database to explore differentially expressed genes (DEGs) translated into proteins interacting with viral proteins during aging. From 22 DEGs in aged blood, FASLG, CTSW, CTSE, VCAM1, and BAG3 were associated with immune response, inflammation, cell component and adhesion, and platelet activation/aggregation. Males and females older than 50 years old overexpress FASLG, possibly inducing a hyperinflammatory cascade. The expression of cathepsins (CTSW and CTSE) and the a

SUBMITTER: de Almeida Chuffa LG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8571664 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature