Human PBMCs Form Lipid Droplets in Response to Spike Proteins.

Intracellular lipid droplets (LDs) can accumulate in response to inflammation, metabolic stresses, and other physiological/pathological processes. Herein, we investigated whether spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 induce LDs in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs). PBMCs or HPMECs were incubated alone or with endotoxin-free recombinant variants of trimeric spike glycoproteins (Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, 12 µg/mL). Afterward, cells were stained with Oil Red O for LDs, cytokine release was determined through ELISA, and the gene expression was analyzed through real-time PCR using TaqMan assays. Our data show that spikes induce LDs in PBMCs but not in HPMECs. In line with this, in PBMCs, spike proteins lower the expression of genes involving lipid metabolism and LD formation, such as SREBF1, HMGCS1, LDLR, and CD36. On the other hand, PBMCs exposed to spikes for 6 or 18 h did not increase in IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and TNFα release or expression as compared to non-treated controls. Thus, spike-induced LD formation in PBMCs seems to not be related to cell inflammatory activation. Further detailed studies are warranted to investigate in which specific immune cells spikes induce LDs, and what are the pathophysiological mechanisms and consequences of this induction in vivo.

S1PR5 is pivotal for the homeostasis of patrolling monocytes.

Patrolling Ly6C(-) monocytes are blood-circulating cells that play a role in inflammation and in the defense against pathogens. Here, we show that similar to natural killer (NK) cells, patrolling monocytes express high levels of S1PR5, a G-coupled receptor for sphingosine-1 phosphate. We found that S1pr5(-/-) mice lack peripheral Ly6C(-) monocytes but have a normal number of these cells in the bone marrow (BM). Various lines of evidence exclude a direct contribution of S1PR5 in the survival of Ly6C(-) monocytes at the periphery. Rather, our data support a role for S1PR5 in the egress of Ly6C(-) monocytes from the BM. In particular, we observed a reduced frequency of patrolling monocytes in BM sinusoids of S1PR5 KO mice. Unexpectedly, S1P was not a chemoattractant for patrolling monocytes and had no significant effect on their viability in vitro. Moreover, the disruption of S1P gradients in vivo did not alter Ly6C(-) monocyte trafficking and viability. These data suggest that S1PR5 regulates the trafficking of monocytes via a mechanism independent of S1P gradients.