ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the novel coronavirus causing severe respiratory illness (COVID-19). This virus was initially identified in Wuhan city, a populated area of the Hubei province in China, and still remains one of the major global health challenges. RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism of post-transcriptional gene silencing that plays a crucial role in innate viral defense mechanisms by inhibiting the virus replication as well as expression of various viral proteins. Dicer, Drosha, Ago2, and DGCR8 are essential components of the RNAi system, which is supposed to be dysregulated in COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to assess the expression level of the mentioned mRNAs in COVID-19patients compared to healthy individuals. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated that the expression of Dicer, Drosha, and Ago2 was statistically altered in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy subjects. Ultimately, the RNA interference mechanism as a crucial antiviral defense system was suggested to be dysregulated in COVID-19 patients.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , MicroRNAs , Humans , RNA Interference , RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , RNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Background and Aims: All components of the immune system are involved in alleviating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Further research is required to provide detailed insights into COVID-19-related immune compartments and pathways. In addition, a significant percentage of hospitalized COVID-19 patients suspect bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance occurs following antibiotics treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effects of antibiotics on the response of neutrophil-related genes in SARS-CoV-2 patients by an experimental in silico study. Methods: The two data sets GSE1739 and GSE21802 including 10 SARS positive patients and 35 influenza A (H1N1) patients were analyzed, respectively. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these two data sets were determined by GEO2R analysis and the Venn diagram online tool. After determining the hub genes involved in immune responses, the expression of these genes in 30 COVID-19 patients and 30 healthy individuals was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All patients received antibiotics, including levofloxacin, colistin, meropenem, and ceftazidime. Results: GEO2R analysis detected 240 and 120 DEGs in GSE21802 and GSE1739, respectively. Twenty DEGs were considered as enriched hub genes involved in immune processes such as neutrophil degranulation, neutrophil activation, and antimicrobial humoral response. The central nodes were attributed to the genes of neutrophil elastase (ELANE), arginase 1 (ARG-1), lipocalin 2 (LCN2), and defensin 4 (DEFA4). Compared to the healthy subjects, the expression of LCN2 and DEFA4 were significantly reduced in COVID-19 patients. However, no significant differences were observed in the ELANE and AGR-1 levels between COVID-19 subjects and the control group. Conclusions: Activation and degranulation of neutrophils were observed mainly in SARS, and H1N1 infection processes and antibiotics administration could affect neutrophil activity during viral infection. It can be suggested that antibiotics can decrease inflammation by restoring the expression of neutrophil-related genes in COVID-19 patients.