A Complement Atlas identifies interleukin 6 dependent alternative pathway dysregulation as a key druggable feature of COVID-19.
Creators
-
Karel F.A. Van Damme1
-
Levi Hoste1
-
Jozefien Declercq1
-
Elisabeth De Leeuw1
-
Bastiaan Maes1
-
Liesbet Martens1
-
Roos Colman1
-
Robin Browaeys1
-
Cédric Bosteels1
-
Stijn Verwaerde1
-
Nicky Vermeulen1
-
Sahine Lameire1
-
Nincy Debeuf1
-
Julie Deckers1
-
Patrick Stordeur2
-
Pieter Depuydt1
-
Eva Van Braeckel1
-
Linos Vandekerckhove1
-
Martin Guilliams1
-
Sjoerd T.T. Schetters1
-
Filomeen Haerynck1
-
Simon J. Tavernier1
-
Bart N. Lambrecht1
- 1. Ghent University
- 2. Université Libre de Bruxelles
Description
Improvements in COVID-19 treatments, especially for the critically ill, require deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving disease pathology. The complement system is a crucial component of innate host defense, but can also contribute to tissue injury. Although all complement pathways have been implicated in COVID-19 pathogenesis, the upstream drivers and downstream effects on tissue injury remain poorly defined. We demonstrate that complement activation is primarily mediated by the alternative pathway, and we provide a comprehensive atlas of the complement alterations around the time of respiratory deterioration. Proteomic and single-cell sequencing mapping across cell types and tissues reveals a division of labor between lung epithelial, stromal, and myeloid cells in complement production, in addition to liver-derived factors. We identify IL-6 and STAT1/3 signaling as an upstream driver of complement responses, linking complement dysregulation to approved COVID-19 therapies. Furthermore, an exploratory proteomic study indicates that inhibition of complement C5 decreases epithelial damage and markers of disease severity. Collectively, these results support complement dysregulation as a key druggable feature of COVID-19.
Notes
Files
complement.csv
Files
(3.2 MB)
Name | Size | Download all |
---|---|---|
md5:44ba6ec1d612ae1c526a8bfcab2a7eea
|
34.1 kB | Preview Download |
md5:634a57852469435f20b38759b655105d
|
13.9 kB | Preview Download |
md5:2d8e46717773c408ef46611680b4604e
|
1.2 MB | Preview Download |
md5:bc73102b08754c9bf1b0da4b0f9ef118
|
2.0 MB | Preview Download |
md5:3256df5828c422c2ea83bbbe6097d1db
|
3.8 kB | Preview Download |