Neutrophils, Crucial, or Harmful Immune Cells Involved in Coronavirus Infection: A Bioinformatics Study
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
Authors: Hemmat, Nima; Derakhshani, Afshin; Bannazadeh Baghi, Hossein; Silvestris, Nicola; Baradaran, Behzad; De Summa, Simona
Abstract
The latest member of theCoronaviridaefamily, called SARS-CoV-2, causes the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease has caused a pandemic and is threatening global health. Similar to SARS-CoV, this new virus can potentially infect lower respiratory tract cells and can go on to cause severe acute respiratory tract syndrome, followed by pneumonia and even death in many nations. The molecular mechanism of the disease has not yet been evaluated until now. We analyzed the GSE1739 microarray dataset including 10 SARS-positive PBMC and four normal PBMC. Co-expression network analysis by WGCNA suggested that highly preserved 833 turquoise module with genes were significantly related to SARS-CoV infection.ELANE, ORM2, RETN, BPI, ARG1, DEFA4, CXCL1, and CAMPwere the most important genes involved in this disease according to GEO2R analysis as well. The GO analysis demonstrated that neutrophil activation and neutrophil degranulation are the most activated biological processes in the SARS infection as well as the neutrophilia, basophilia, and lymphopenia predicted by deconvolution analysis of samples. Thus, using Serpins and Arginase inhibitors during SARS-CoV infection may be beneficial for increasing the survival of SARS-positive patients. Regarding the high similarity of SARS-CoV-2 to SARS-CoV, the use of such inhibitors might be beneficial for COVID-19 patients.
Association of Variants in RETN With Plasma Resistin Levels and Diabetes-Related Traits in the Framingham Offspring Study
DIABETES
Authors: Hivert, Marie-France; Manning, Alisa K.; McAteer, Jarred B.; Dupuis, Josee; Fox, Caroline S.; Cupples, L. Adrienne; Meigs, James B.; Florez, Jose C.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE-The RETN gene encodes the adipokine resistin. Associations of RETN with plasma resistin levels, type 2 diabetes, and related metabolic traits have been inconsistent. Using comprehensive linkage disequilibrium mapping, we genotyped tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in RETN and tested associations with plasma resistin levels, risk of diabetes, and glycemic traits. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-We examined 2,531 Framingham Offspring Study participants for resistin levels, glycemic phenotypes, and incident diabetes over 28 years of follow-up. We genotyped 21 tag SNPs that capture common (minor allele frequency >0.05) or previously reported SNPS at r(2) > 0.8 across RETN and its flanking regions. We used sex- and age-adjusted linear mixed-effects models (with/without BMI adjustment) to test additive associations of SNPs with traits, adjusted Cox proportional hazards models accounting for relatedness for incident diabetes, and generated empirical P values (P-e to control for type I error. RESULTS-Four tag SNPs (rs1477341, rs4804765, rs1423096, and rs10401670) on the 3' side of RETN were strongly associated with resistin levels (all minor alleles associated with higher levels, P-e<0.05 after multiple testing correction). rs10401670 was also associated with fasting plasma glucose (P-e = 0.02, BMI adjusted) and mean glucose over follow-up (P-e = 0.01; BMI adjusted). No significant association was observed for adiposity traits. On meta-analysis, the previously reported association of SNP -420C/G (rs1862513) with resistin levels remained significant (P = 0.0009) but with high heterogeneity across studies (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS-SNPs in the 3' region of RETN are associated with resistin levels, and one of them is also associated with glucose levels, although replication is needed. Diabetes 58: 750-756, 2009