Nucleocapsid and Spike Proteins of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Induce IL6 in Monocytes and Macrophages—Potential Implications for Cytokine Storm Syndrome

Karwaciak, Iwona; Sałkowska, Anna; Karaś, Kaja; Dastych, Jarosław; Ratajewski, Marcin

doi:10.3390/vaccines9010054

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Nucleocapsid and Spike Proteins of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Induce IL6 in Monocytes and Macrophages—Potential Implications for Cytokine Storm Syndrome

^1,†,

^2,†

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^2,*

Laboratory of Transcriptional Regulation, Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 93-232 Lodz, Poland

Laboratory of Epigenetics, Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 93-232 Lodz, Poland

Laboratory of Cellular Immunology, Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 93-232 Lodz, Poland

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Vaccines 2021, 9(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9010054

Received: 18 December 2020 / Revised: 11 January 2021 / Accepted: 12 January 2021 / Published: 15 January 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unraveling SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis: Development of Vaccines and Therapeutics for COVID-19)

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Abstract

The pandemic of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) has led to the deaths of more than 1.5 million people worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19, which exhibits wide variation in the course of disease in different people, ranging from asymptomatic and mild courses to very severe courses that can result in respiratory failure and death. Despite the rapid progression of knowledge, we still do not know how individual cells of the immune system interact with the virus or its components, or how immune homeostasis becomes disrupted, leading to the rapid deterioration of a patient’s condition. In the present work, we show that SARS-CoV-2 proteins induce the expression and secretion of IL-6 by human monocytes and macrophages, the first line cells of antiviral immune responses. IL-6 may play a negative role in the course of COVID-19 by inhibiting Th1-dependent immunity and stimulating Th17 lymphocytes, thus leading to an increased probability of a cytokine storm. View Full-Text

Keywords: SARS-COV-2; COVID-19; monocytes; macrophages; IL-6; cytokine storm

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Karwaciak, I.; Sałkowska, A.; Karaś, K.; Dastych, J.; Ratajewski, M. Nucleocapsid and Spike Proteins of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Induce IL6 in Monocytes and Macrophages—Potential Implications for Cytokine Storm Syndrome. Vaccines 2021, 9, 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9010054

AMA Style

Karwaciak I, Sałkowska A, Karaś K, Dastych J, Ratajewski M. Nucleocapsid and Spike Proteins of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Induce IL6 in Monocytes and Macrophages—Potential Implications for Cytokine Storm Syndrome. Vaccines. 2021; 9(1):54. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9010054

Chicago/Turabian Style

Karwaciak, Iwona, Anna Sałkowska, Kaja Karaś, Jarosław Dastych, and Marcin Ratajewski. 2021. "Nucleocapsid and Spike Proteins of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Induce IL6 in Monocytes and Macrophages—Potential Implications for Cytokine Storm Syndrome" Vaccines 9, no. 1: 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9010054

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Nucleocapsid and Spike Proteins of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Induce IL6 in Monocytes and Macrophages—Potential Implications for Cytokine Storm Syndrome

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