SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with anti-desmoglein 2 autoantibody detection
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Post-acute cardiac sequelae, following SARS-CoV-2 infection, are well recognized as complications of COVID-19. We have previously shown the persistence of autoantibodies against antigens in skin, muscle, and heart in individuals following severe COVID-19; the most common staining on skin tissue displayed an inter-cellular cement pattern consistent with antibodies against desmosomal proteins. Desmosomes play a critical role in maintaining the structural integrity of tissues. For this reason, we analyzed desmosomal protein levels and the presence of anti-desmoglein (DSG) 1, 2, and 3 antibodies in acute and convalescent sera from patients with COVID-19 of differing clinical severity. We find increased levels of DSG2 protein in sera from acute COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, we find that DSG2 autoantibody levels are increased significantly in convalescent sera following severe COVID-19 but not in hospitalized patients recovering from influenza infection or healthy controls. Levels of autoantibody in sera from patients with severe COVID-19 were comparable to levels in patients with non-COVID-19-associated cardiac disease, potentially identifying DSG2 autoantibodies as a novel biomarker for cardiac damage. To determine if there was any association between severe COVID-19 and DSG2, we stained post-mortem cardiac tissue from patients who died from COVID-19 infection. This confirmed DSG2 protein within the intercalated discs and disruption of the intercalated disc between cardiomyocytes in patients who died from COVID-19. Our results reveal the potential for DSG2 protein and autoimmunity to DSG2 to contribute to unexpected pathologies associated with COVID-19 infection.
Date Issued
2023-08
Date Acceptance
2023-04-24
Citation
Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 2023, 213 (2), pp.243-251
ISSN
0009-9104
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Start Page
243
End Page
251
Journal / Book Title
Clinical and Experimental Immunology
Volume
213
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Immunology.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37095599
PII: 7140487
Subjects
Autoantibodies
COVID-19
COVID-19 Serotherapy
Humans
Myocardium
SARS-CoV-2
autoantibodies
autoimmunity
infection
virus
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2023-04-24