Abstract

The cholinergic system has been proposed as a potential regulator of COVID-19-induced hypercytokinemia. We investigated whole-blood expression of cholinergic system members and correlated it with COVID-19 severity. Patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and healthy aged-matched controls were included in this non-interventional study. A whole blood sample was drawn between 9–11 days after symptoms onset, and peripheral leukocyte phenotyping, cytokines measurement, RNA expression and plasma viral load were determined. Additionally, whole-blood expression of native alpha-7 nicotinic subunit and its negative dominant duplicate (CHRFAM7A), choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholine esterase (AchE) were determined. Thirty-seven patients with COVID-19 (10 moderate, 11 severe and 16 with critical disease) and 14 controls were included. Expression of CHRFAM7A was significantly lower in critical COVID-19 patients compared to controls. COVID-19 patients not expressing CHRFAM7A had higher levels of CRP, more extended pulmonary lesions and displayed more pronounced lymphopenia. COVID-19 patients without CHRFAM7A expression also showed increased TNF pathway expression in whole blood. AchE was also expressed in 30 COVID-19 patients and in all controls. COVID-19-induced hypercytokinemia is associated with decreased expression of the pro-inflammatory dominant negative duplicate CHRFAM7A. Expression of this duplicate might be considered before targeting the cholinergic system in COVID-19 with nicotine.

Details

Title
Regulation of the acetylcholine/α7nAChR anti-inflammatory pathway in COVID-19 patients
Author
Courties Alice 1 ; Boussier Jeremy 2 ; Hadjadj Jérôme 3 ; Yatim Nader 4 ; Barnabei, Laura 5 ; Péré Hélène 6 ; Veyer, David 7 ; Kernéis Solen 8 ; Carlier, Nicolas 9 ; Pène Frédéric 10 ; Rieux-Laucat Frédéric 5 ; Charbit, Bruno 11 ; Bondet Vincent 12 ; Duffy Darragh 13 ; Berenbaum, Francis 1 ; Terrier, Benjamin 14 ; Sellam Jérémie 1 

 Sorbonne Université, INSERM UMR 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, AP-HP, Paris, France (GRID:grid.412370.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 1100); AP-HP Saint-Antoine Hospital, Rheumatology Department, Paris, France (GRID:grid.412370.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 1100) 
 Sorbonne Université, Paris, France (GRID:grid.462844.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 2308 1657) 
 Université de Paris, Imagine Institute Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Pediatric Autoimmune Diseases, INSERM UMR 1163, Paris, France (GRID:grid.508487.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 7885 7602); National Reference Center for Rare Systemic Autoimmune Diseases, AP-HP, APHP-CUP, Hôpital Cochin, Department of Internal Medicine, Paris, France (GRID:grid.411784.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0274 3893) 
 Institut Pasteur, Translational Immunology Lab, Department of Immunology, Paris, France (GRID:grid.428999.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2353 6535); National Reference Center for Rare Systemic Autoimmune Diseases, AP-HP, APHP-CUP, Hôpital Cochin, Department of Internal Medicine, Paris, France (GRID:grid.411784.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0274 3893) 
 Université de Paris, Imagine Institute Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Pediatric Autoimmune Diseases, INSERM UMR 1163, Paris, France (GRID:grid.508487.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 7885 7602) 
 Université de Paris, INSERM, U970, PARCC, Paris, France (GRID:grid.508487.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 7885 7602); Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Laboratoire de Virologie, Service de Microbiologie, Paris, France (GRID:grid.414093.b) 
 Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Laboratoire de Virologie, Service de Microbiologie, Paris, France (GRID:grid.414093.b); Université Paris, Unité de Génomique Fonctionnelle des Tumeurs Solides, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM, Paris, France (GRID:grid.410511.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2149 7878) 
 Equipe Mobile d’Infectiologie, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, APHP-CUP, Paris, France (GRID:grid.411784.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0274 3893); Université de Paris, INSERM, IAME, Paris, France (GRID:grid.411784.f); Institut Pasteur, Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion (EMAE), Paris, France (GRID:grid.428999.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2353 6535) 
 Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, APHP-CUP, Department of Pulmonology, Paris, France (GRID:grid.411784.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0274 3893) 
10  Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Service de Médecine Intensive-Réanimation, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP-CUP, Paris, France (GRID:grid.411784.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0274 3893) 
11  Institut Pasteur, Cytometry and Biomarkers UTechS, CRT, Paris, France (GRID:grid.428999.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2353 6535) 
12  Institut Pasteur, Translational Immunology Lab, Department of Immunology, Paris, France (GRID:grid.428999.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2353 6535) 
13  Institut Pasteur, Translational Immunology Lab, Department of Immunology, Paris, France (GRID:grid.428999.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2353 6535); Institut Pasteur, Cytometry and Biomarkers UTechS, CRT, Paris, France (GRID:grid.428999.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2353 6535) 
14  National Reference Center for Rare Systemic Autoimmune Diseases, AP-HP, APHP-CUP, Hôpital Cochin, Department of Internal Medicine, Paris, France (GRID:grid.411784.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0274 3893); Université de Paris, INSERM, U970, PARCC, Paris, France (GRID:grid.508487.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 7885 7602) 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2537006589
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.