Andy Ruiz, Carlos Peña-Bates, Lucero A. Ramon-Luing, Daniel Baca-Nuñez, Marco Antonio Vargas, Karen Medina-Quero, Neptali Gutierrez, Joel A. Vázquez-Pérez, Ramcés Falfán-Valencia, Gloria Pérez-Rubio, Carolina Di Benedetto, Ivette Buendia-Roldan, Moisés Selman, Paola Betancur, Leslie Chavez-Galan
{"title":"OPG and BAFF as predictive biomarkers of the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection","authors":"Andy Ruiz, Carlos Peña-Bates, Lucero A. Ramon-Luing, Daniel Baca-Nuñez, Marco Antonio Vargas, Karen Medina-Quero, Neptali Gutierrez, Joel A. Vázquez-Pérez, Ramcés Falfán-Valencia, Gloria Pérez-Rubio, Carolina Di Benedetto, Ivette Buendia-Roldan, Moisés Selman, Paola Betancur, Leslie Chavez-Galan","doi":"10.1111/jcmm.70189","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Molecules of the tumour necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) are key players in immune regulation; an increase in some TNFSF molecules has been reported during severe COVID-19. In this study, we profiled and evaluated TNFSF members in the serum of COVID-19 vaccine-naïve patients to identify potential biomarkers associated with disease severity. Our data show that TRAIL serum levels are lower in severely affected patients than those mildly affected by COVID-19 (AUC 0.8, <i>p</i> = 0.0003). On the contrary, OPG and BAFF serum levels are higher in severe COVID-19 compared to mild COVID-19 cases (AUC 0.8, <i>p</i> = 0.0001; AUC 0.7, <i>p</i> = 0.0012; respectively) and moderate COVID-19 cases (OPG <i>p</i> < 0.01), BAFF (<i>p</i> < 0.05). At the transcriptional level, TRAIL, OPG and BAFF are elevated in severe compared to mild COVID-19 cases, with OPG and BAFF also higher in moderate compared to mild COVID-19 patients. Additionally, we found that APRIL, LIGHT, CD30L and CD40L protein-levels are higher in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy donors but not significantly different between various COVID-19 clinical statuses. Finally, we found that TNF-α, TNF-β, RANKL and TWEAK protein levels were not affected during COVID-19. Our work identifies OPG and BAFF as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for preventing severe COVID-19. Due to the opposite contradictory levels of TRAIL (protein/transcriptional level), its role during COVID-19 should be elucidated and clarified with more in-depth studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":101321,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11783147/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcmm.70189","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Molecules of the tumour necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) are key players in immune regulation; an increase in some TNFSF molecules has been reported during severe COVID-19. In this study, we profiled and evaluated TNFSF members in the serum of COVID-19 vaccine-naïve patients to identify potential biomarkers associated with disease severity. Our data show that TRAIL serum levels are lower in severely affected patients than those mildly affected by COVID-19 (AUC 0.8, p = 0.0003). On the contrary, OPG and BAFF serum levels are higher in severe COVID-19 compared to mild COVID-19 cases (AUC 0.8, p = 0.0001; AUC 0.7, p = 0.0012; respectively) and moderate COVID-19 cases (OPG p < 0.01), BAFF (p < 0.05). At the transcriptional level, TRAIL, OPG and BAFF are elevated in severe compared to mild COVID-19 cases, with OPG and BAFF also higher in moderate compared to mild COVID-19 patients. Additionally, we found that APRIL, LIGHT, CD30L and CD40L protein-levels are higher in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy donors but not significantly different between various COVID-19 clinical statuses. Finally, we found that TNF-α, TNF-β, RANKL and TWEAK protein levels were not affected during COVID-19. Our work identifies OPG and BAFF as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for preventing severe COVID-19. Due to the opposite contradictory levels of TRAIL (protein/transcriptional level), its role during COVID-19 should be elucidated and clarified with more in-depth studies.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine serves as a bridge between physiology and cellular medicine, as well as molecular biology and molecular therapeutics. With a 20-year history, the journal adopts an interdisciplinary approach to showcase innovative discoveries.
It publishes research aimed at advancing the collective understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying diseases. The journal emphasizes translational studies that translate this knowledge into therapeutic strategies. Being fully open access, the journal is accessible to all readers.