ABSTRACT
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as a primary receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we investigated the expression regulation of ACE2 in enterocytes under amino acid deprivation conditions. In this study, we found that ACE2 expression was upregulated upon all or single essential amino acid deprivation in human colonic epithelial CCD841 cells. Furthermore, we found that knockdown of general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2) reduced intestinal ACE2 mRNA and protein levels in vitro and in vivo. Consistently, we revealed two GCN2 inhibitors, GCN2iB and GCN2-IN-1, downregulated ACE2 protein expression in CCD841 cells. Moreover, we found that increased ACE2 expression in response to leucine deprivation was GCN2 dependent. Through RNA-sequencing analysis, we identified two transcription factors, MAFB and MAFF, positively regulated ACE2 expression under leucine deprivation in CCD841 cells. These findings demonstrate that amino acid deficiency increases ACE2 expression and thereby likely aggravates intestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Subject(s)
Amino Acids , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 , COVID-19 , Enterocytes , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases , Amino Acids/deficiency , Amino Acids/metabolism , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/biosynthesis , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/genetics , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism , COVID-19/enzymology , COVID-19/genetics , COVID-19/virology , Enterocytes/enzymology , Enterocytes/metabolism , Humans , Leucine/pharmacology , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/physiology , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismABSTRACT
The rising prevalence of diabetes is threatening global health. It is known not only for the occurrence of severe complications but also for the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, which shows that it exacerbates susceptibility to infections. Current therapies focus on artificially maintaining insulin homeostasis, and a durable cure has not yet been achieved. We demonstrate that our set of small molecule inhibitors of DYRK1A kinase potently promotes ß-cell proliferation, enhances long-term insulin secretion, and balances glucagon level in the organoid model of the human islets. Comparable activity is seen in INS-1E and MIN6 cells, in isolated mice islets, and human iPSC-derived ß-cells. Our compounds exert a significantly more pronounced effect compared to harmine, the best-documented molecule enhancing ß-cell proliferation. Using a body-like environment of the organoid, we provide a proof-of-concept that small-molecule-induced human ß-cell proliferation via DYRK1A inhibition is achievable, which lends a considerable promise for regenerative medicine in T1DM and T2DM treatment.
Subject(s)
Homeostasis , Insulin-Secreting Cells/cytology , Insulin-Secreting Cells/enzymology , Insulin/metabolism , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Animals , Cell Line , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cell Survival/drug effects , Genes, Reporter , Harmine/pharmacology , Homeostasis/drug effects , Humans , Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/drug effects , Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/metabolism , Insulin-Secreting Cells/drug effects , Kinetics , Male , Mice , Models, Biological , NFATC Transcription Factors/metabolism , Organoids/drug effects , Organoids/metabolism , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/chemistry , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/metabolism , Rats , Transforming Growth Factor beta/antagonists & inhibitors , Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolismSubject(s)
Azetidines , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , COVID-19 , Purines , Pyrazoles , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , Sulfonamides , Antiviral Agents/immunology , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Azetidines/immunology , Azetidines/pharmacology , COVID-19/immunology , Clinical Trials as Topic , Humans , Immunologic Factors/pharmacology , Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Janus Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Purines/immunology , Purines/pharmacology , Pyrazoles/immunology , Pyrazoles/pharmacology , Sulfonamides/immunology , Sulfonamides/pharmacology , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Obesity patients are more susceptible to develop COVID-19 severe outcome due to the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the viral infection. ACE2 is regulated in the human cells by different genes associated with increased (TLR3, HAT1, HDAC2, KDM5B, SIRT1, RAB1A, FURIN and ADAM10) or decreased (TRIB3) virus replication. RNA-seq data revealed 14857 genes expressed in human subcutaneous adipocytes, including genes mentioned above. Irisin treatment increased by 3-fold the levels of TRIB3 transcript and decreased the levels of other genes. The decrease in FURIN and ADAM10 expression enriched diverse biological processes, including extracellular structure organization. Our results, in human subcutaneous adipocytes cell culture, indicate a positive effect of irisin on the expression of multiple genes related to viral infection by SARS-CoV-2; furthermore, translatable for other tissues and organs targeted by the novel coronavirus and present, thus, promising approaches for the treatment of COVID-19 infection as therapeutic strategy to decrease ACE2 regulatory genes.
Subject(s)
Adipocytes/drug effects , Fibronectins/pharmacology , Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects , ADAM10 Protein/genetics , ADAM10 Protein/metabolism , Adipocytes/cytology , Adipocytes/metabolism , Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases/genetics , Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases/metabolism , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 , Betacoronavirus/genetics , Betacoronavirus/metabolism , COVID-19 , Cell Cycle Proteins/genetics , Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism , Cells, Cultured , Coronavirus Infections/virology , Fibronectins/genetics , Fibronectins/metabolism , Furin/genetics , Furin/metabolism , Gene Ontology , Histone Acetyltransferases/genetics , Histone Acetyltransferases/metabolism , Histone Deacetylase 2/genetics , Histone Deacetylase 2/metabolism , Humans , Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases/genetics , Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases/metabolism , Membrane Proteins/genetics , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Models, Biological , Molecular Sequence Annotation , Nuclear Proteins/genetics , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , Obesity/virology , Pandemics , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/genetics , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/metabolism , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , Repressor Proteins/genetics , Repressor Proteins/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2 , Signal Transduction , Sirtuin 1/genetics , Sirtuin 1/metabolism , Toll-Like Receptor 3/genetics , Toll-Like Receptor 3/metabolism , rab1 GTP-Binding Proteins/genetics , rab1 GTP-Binding Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
Baricitinib is an oral Janus kinase (JAK)1/JAK2 inhibitor approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that was independently predicted, using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, to be useful for COVID-19 infection via proposed anti-cytokine effects and as an inhibitor of host cell viral propagation. We evaluated the in vitro pharmacology of baricitinib across relevant leukocyte subpopulations coupled to its in vivo pharmacokinetics and showed it inhibited signaling of cytokines implicated in COVID-19 infection. We validated the AI-predicted biochemical inhibitory effects of baricitinib on human numb-associated kinase (hNAK) members measuring nanomolar affinities for AAK1, BIKE, and GAK. Inhibition of NAKs led to reduced viral infectivity with baricitinib using human primary liver spheroids. These effects occurred at exposure levels seen clinically. In a case series of patients with bilateral COVID-19 pneumonia, baricitinib treatment was associated with clinical and radiologic recovery, a rapid decline in SARS-CoV-2 viral load, inflammatory markers, and IL-6 levels. Collectively, these data support further evaluation of the anti-cytokine and anti-viral activity of baricitinib and support its assessment in randomized trials in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.