Good news! Amazing stuff!
"... Scientists have identified a gene associated with whether patients hospitalised with respiratory viral infections experience mild disease or life-threatening complications.
According to the new study published in Cell, expression levels of the gene, OLAH, is critical in determining disease severity. ..."
From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• Fatal H7N9 flu patients express high OLAH levels throughout hospitalization
• High OLAH levels are detected in severe H1N1, COVID-19, RSV, and MIS-C patients
• Olah−/− mice are protected from lethal influenza disease and excessive inflammation
• Olah expression in macrophages drives viral infection and an inflammatory milieu
Summary
Respiratory infections cause significant morbidity and mortality, yet it is unclear why some individuals succumb to severe disease. In patients hospitalized with avian A(H7N9) influenza, we investigated early drivers underpinning fatal disease. Transcriptomics strongly linked oleoyl-acyl-carrier-protein (ACP) hydrolase (OLAH), an enzyme mediating fatty acid production, with fatal A(H7N9) early after hospital admission, persisting until death. Recovered patients had low OLAH expression throughout hospitalization. High OLAH levels were also detected in patients hospitalized with life-threatening seasonal influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) but not during mild disease. In olah−/− mice, lethal influenza infection led to survival and mild disease as well as reduced lung viral loads, tissue damage, infection-driven pulmonary cell infiltration, and inflammation. This was underpinned by differential lipid droplet dynamics as well as reduced viral replication and virus-induced inflammation in macrophages. Supplementation of oleic acid, the main product of OLAH, increased influenza replication in macrophages and their inflammatory potential. Our findings define how the expression of OLAH drives life-threatening viral disease."
Graphical abstract
No comments:
Post a Comment