Transcriptional profiles and common genes link lung cancer with the development and severity of COVID-19

Author(s)

Cury, S. S. ; Oliveira, J. S. ; Biagi-Junior, C. A. O. ; Silva Jr, W. A. ; Reis, P. P. ; Cabral-Marques, O. ; Hasimoto, E. N. ; Freire, P. P. ; Carvalho, R. F.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Gene; v. 852, p. 11-pg., 2023-02-05.

Abstract

Lung cancer patients with COVID-19 present an increased risk of developing severe disease and, consequently, have poor outcomes. Determining SARS-CoV-2-host interactome in lung cancer cells and tissues, infected or uninfected with SARS-CoV-2, may reveal molecular mechanisms associated with COVID-19 development and severity in lung cancer patients. Here, we integrated transcriptome data of lung tumors from patients with small -or non-small cell lung cancer (SCLC and NSCLC) and normal lung and lung cancer cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to characterize molecular mechanisms potentially associated with COVID-19 development and severity in lung cancer patients and to predict the SARS-CoV-2-host cell interactome. We found that the gene expression profiles of lung cell lines infected with SARS-CoV-2 resemble more primary lung tumors than non-malignant lung tissues. In addition, the transcriptomic-based interactome analysis of SCLC and NSCLC revealed increased expression of cancer genes BRCA1 and CENPF, whose proteins are known or predicted to interact with the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and helicase, respectively. We also found that TRIB3, a gene coding a putative host-SARS-CoV-2 interacting protein associated with COVID-19 infection, is co-expressed with the up-regulated genes MTHFD2, ADM2, and GPT2 in all tested conditions. Our analysis identified biological processes such as amino acid metabolism and angiogenesis and 22 host mediators of SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication that may contribute to the development and severity of COVID-19 in lung cancers. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/50343-1 - Genomic profiling of messenger RNAs and microRNAs in cancer cachexia
• Grantee: Robson Francisco Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 20/09146-1 - Systemic and integrative analysis of molecular mechanisms associated with immunoregulation in patients with COVID-19
• Grantee: Paula Paccielli Freire-Barguil
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral