Single-cell RNA-seq of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of late stage severe COVID-19 patients
COVID-19-induced ‘acute respiratory distress syndrome’ (ARDS) is associated with prolonged respiratory failure and high mortality, but the mechanistic basis of lung injury remains incompletely understood. Here, we analyzed pulmonary immune responses and lung pathology in two cohorts of patients with COVID-19 ARDS using functional single cell genomics, immunohistology and electron microscopy. We describe an accumulation of CD163-expressing monocyte-derived macrophages, that acquired a profibrotic transcriptional phenotype during COVID-19 ARDS. Gene set enrichment and computational data integration revealed a significant similarity between COVID-19-associated macrophages and profibrotic macrophage populations identified in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. COVID-19 ARDS was associated with clinical, radiographic, histopathological, and ultrastructural hallmarks of pulmonary fibrosis. Exposure of human monocytes to SARS-CoV-2, but not Influenza A virus or viral RNA analogs, was sufficient to induce a similar profibrotic phenotype in vitro. In conclusion, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 triggers profibrotic macrophage responses and pronounced fibroproliferative ARDS.
- Type: Other
- Archiver: European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA)
Click on a Dataset ID in the table below to learn more, and to find out who to contact about access to these data
Dataset ID | Description | Technology | Samples |
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EGAD00001008161 | Illumina NovaSeq 6000 | 5 |
Publications | Citations |
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SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers profibrotic macrophage responses and lung fibrosis.
Cell 184: 2021 6243-6261.e27 |
222 |
Longitudinal characterization of circulating neutrophils uncovers phenotypes associated with severity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Cell Rep Med 3: 2022 100779 |
28 |
Altered and allele-specific open chromatin landscape reveals epigenetic and genetic regulators of innate immunity in COVID-19.
Cell Genom 3: 2023 100232 |
8 |
MAFB shapes human monocyte-derived macrophage response to SARS-CoV-2 and controls severe COVID-19 biomarker expression.
JCI Insight 8: 2023 e172862 |
2 |