Severe COVID-19 induces autoantibodies against angiotensin II that correlate with blood pressure dysregulation and disease severity.

TitleSevere COVID-19 induces autoantibodies against angiotensin II that correlate with blood pressure dysregulation and disease severity.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2022
AuthorsBriquez PS, Rouhani SJ, Yu J, Pyzer AR, Trujillo J, Dugan HL, Stamper CT, Changrob S, Sperling AI, Wilson PC, Gajewski TF, Hubbell JA, Swartz MA
JournalSci Adv
Volume8
Issue40
Paginationeabn3777
Date Published2022 Oct 07
ISSN2375-2548
KeywordsAngiotensin II, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, Autoantibodies, Blood Pressure, COVID-19, Epitopes, Humans, Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A, Protein Binding, SARS-CoV-2, Severity of Illness Index, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Abstract

Patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can experience life-threatening respiratory distress, blood pressure dysregulation, and thrombosis. This is thought to be associated with an impaired activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is the main entry receptor of SARS-CoV-2 and which also tightly regulates blood pressure by converting the vasoconstrictive peptide angiotensin II (AngII) to a vasopressor peptide. Here, we show that a significant proportion of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 developed autoantibodies against AngII, whose presence correlates with lower blood oxygenation, blood pressure dysregulation, and overall higher disease severity. Anti-AngII antibodies can develop upon specific immune reaction to the SARS-CoV-2 proteins Spike or receptor-binding domain (RBD), to which they can cross-bind, suggesting some epitope mimicry between AngII and Spike/RBD. These results provide important insights on how an immune reaction against SARS-CoV-2 can impair blood pressure regulation.

DOI10.1126/sciadv.abn3777
Custom 1

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36206332?dopt=Abstract

Alternate JournalSci Adv
PubMed ID36206332
PubMed Central IDPMC9544317
Grant ListK12 CA139160 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
T32 AI007090 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States

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