PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Blood test can track the evolution of coronavirus infection

A blood test that quantifies the protein ACE2, the cellular protein which allows entry of the virus into cells, as well as ACE2 fragments, produced as a result of interaction with the virus, could be an effective method for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection

Blood test can track the evolution of coronavirus infection
2021-07-13
(Press-News.org) A blood test that quantifies the protein ACE2, the cellular protein which allows entry of the coronavirus into cells, as well as ACE2 fragments, produced as a result of interaction with the virus, could be a simple and effective method for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a study led by Javier Sáez-Valero, from the UMH-CSIC Neurosciences Institute in Alicante, published in FASEB Journal. This study, carried out during the first wave of the pandemic, found that patients with COVID-19, in the acute phase of infection, have significantly reduced plasma levels of the full-length ACE2 protein, which SARS-CoV-2 binds to enter cells, compared to non-infected controls. In addition, the plasma levels of a lower molecular mass (70 kDa) ACE2 fragment, generated as a result of interaction with the virus, are increased. These abnormal levels of ACE2 and truncated ACE2 (70 kDa fragment) return to normal after the patients' recovery. This suggests that both forms of ACE2 present in plasma could be used as a good biomarker of the evolution of coronavirus infection. In addition, truncated ACE2 levels served to discriminate between patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and those infected with influenza A virus. "In this work we have studied the plasma levels of the coronavirus receptor, the ACE2 protein, and we have been able to determine that there are different forms of the protein in plasma, and that part of the soluble ACE2 are proteolytic fragments of the ACE2 receptor, generated subsequently to interaction with the virus. The full-length protein is also found in plasma, which provides information about tissue affection during infection," explains Javier Sáez-Valero, who led the study. Although the main research line of Sáez-Valero's group is Alzheimer's Disease, the "similarities" of ACE2 to core proteins of Alzheimer's disease pathology, such as beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP), also cell membrane resident proteins, led this expert to think that perhaps ACE2 could be present in plasma, providing information on its interaction with the coronavirus. "Our approach to this research line was the possibility that soluble ACE2 protein can serve as a read-out during infection with COVID-19. This hypothesis originates from our expertise in Alzheimer's disease. In this neurodegenerative disease we investigate proteins, such as APP, that are present in the cerebrospinal fluid. APP is also a membrane protein that is processed by the same molecular tools as ACE2, enzymes called secretases, which process several membrane proteins into different fragments. This phenomenon was the clue that led us to think that ACE2 protein fragments, but also the full-length protein, are present in plasma. Thus, we have the possibility of investigating this protein as a possible biomarker," explains Sáez-Valero. TRIAL PARTICIPANTS Samples and patient data included in this study were provided by the ISABIAL Biobank, integrated in the Spanish National Biobank Network and the Valencian Biobank Network. Fifty-nine patients with a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs were included, of whom 24 were women and 35 men, with a mean age of 64 years). All were hospitalized 7 to 9 days after symptom onset. Of these, 48 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients suffered a moderate presentation of COVID-19, and 11 were considered severe as they suffered respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation and/or intensive care unit treatment. Two additional groups were also analyzed, one of 17 participants (9 women and 8 men), which included people aged 34 to 85 years with influenza A virus pneumonia. The other group consisted of 26 disease-free controls (14 women and 12 men) aged 34-85 years. For the "influenza A group", samples were also taken in the acute phase, before specific hospital treatment. The ACE2 species in human plasma were identified by immunoprecipitation and western blotting, a technique that allows the detection of a specific protein in a blood or tissue sample, where there is a complex mixture of forms of the protein. Until now, plasma analyses carried out for the coronavirus had mostly used another technique called ELISA, which does not allow the different forms of the proteins to be determined. Changes in truncated and full-length ACE2 species were also examined in serum samples from humanized K18-hACE2 mice inoculated with a lethal dose of SARS-CoV-2. These humanized mice carry the human gene that produces the ACE2 protein, allowing SARS-CoV-2 infection, which does not occur naturally due to lack of recognition of murine ACE2 by the virus. The alterations in the forms of ACE2 present in plasma following SARS-CoV-2 infection observed in this study justify, according to the researchers, further investigation of their potential as biomarkers of the disease process, and also for assessing the efficacy of vaccination. The next step will be to investigate what happens to these proteins in asymptomatic PCR-positive or vaccinated individuals.

INFORMATION:

In this multicenter study led by Javier Sáez-Valero, whose first authors are María Salud García-Ayllón, from the Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC, and Óscar Moreno-Pérez, from the Hospital General Universitario de Alicante (HGUA) and the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), other particioants include Esperanza Merino, José Manuel Ramos-Rincón, Mariano Andrés, José Manuel León-Ramírez, Vicente Boix and Joan Gil from the HGUA-ISABIAL; and María Ángeles Cortés-Gómez from the Institute of Neurosciences UMH-CSIC. The study has the collaboration of prestigious groups, Mariano Esteban and Juan García-Arriaza from the National Biotechnology Center of CSIC; and Henrik Zetterberg and Gunnar Brinkmalm from Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden. The researchers Javier Sáez-Valero, María Salud García-Ayllón and María Ángeles Cortés-Gómez also belong to the Center for Biomedical Research Network on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED).


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Blood test can track the evolution of coronavirus infection

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Experts address the challenges of health disparity in the care of patients with cerebral palsy

Experts address the challenges of health disparity in the care of patients with cerebral palsy
2021-07-13
Amsterdam, July 13, 2021 - Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common developmental movement disorders in children. It is associated with complex healthcare needs and impacts development and function. In this END ...

Transport in 2050: Safer, cleaner and cost efficient?

2021-07-13
ITHACA, N.Y. - A Cornell University-led team has calculated that by the year 2050, vehicle electrification, driverless cars and ride sharing could slash U.S. petroleum consumption by 50% and carbon dioxide emissions by 75% while simultaneously preventing 5,500 premature deaths and saving $58 billion annually. The researchers projected vehicle stocks, distance traveled, energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions in the continental U.S. through 2050 and quantified the impacts of changing emissions on concentrations of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere, as well as ensuing health and economic benefits of populations in 10 major metropolitan areas. Their simulations ...

Individual privacy and big data uses in public health

2021-07-13
In the United States, massive volumes of individual-level data, called "big data," are used for a variety of reasons, including marketing, intelligence gathering and political campaigns. Big data are also vital to public health efforts, such as improving population health, informing personalized medicine and transforming biomedical research. However, it can be challenging to use big data for health applications due to laws and concerns about individual privacy. Federal and state data-protection laws exist to protect individual privacy, and they vary depending on the type of data, who is using it and the data's intended purpose. The complexity and differences in these data-protection laws can make it difficult for researchers to use big data ...

Global study reveals effectiveness of protected area

Global study reveals effectiveness of protected area
2021-07-13
Researchers have conducted a global study on the effectiveness of recently established protected areas in preventing forest loss The study explores protected area performance by countries, with South Africa, Cambodia, Latvia, Guatemala, Uruguay, Brazil and New Zealand leading the way in the effectiveness of their protected areas The research team estimated that overall, protected areas established between 2000-2012 prevented 86,062 square kilometers of forest loss If all countries had protected areas that were as effective as their top-performing neighbor, then ...

Clinic boosts transgender young people's mental health

Clinic boosts transgender young peoples mental health
2021-07-13
A clinic to help transgender young people and their families receive quicker support has boosted mental health, family functioning and quality of life, according to a new study. The research, led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and published in Pediatrics, found the clinic in Melbourne led to lower levels of depression and anxiety due to transgender young people being able to access help 10 months sooner. The study involved 142 patients who completed questionnaires before and after attending the First Assessment Single Session Triage (FASST) clinic ...

An archaeological study reveals new aspects related to plant processing in a Neolithic settlement in Turkey

An archaeological study reveals new aspects related to plant processing in a Neolithic settlement in Turkey
2021-07-13
A study conducted by researchers from the UPF Culture and Socio-Ecological Dynamics research group (CaSEs) and the University of Leicester (UK) has provided a highly dynamic image surrounding the use and importance of hitherto unknown wild plant resources at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük (Anatolia, Turkey). The researchers carried out their work combining the analysis of microbotanical remains and use-wear traces in various stone implements recovered from the site, which in the past hosted one of mankind's first agricultural societies. The researchers carried out their work combining the analysis of microbotanical remains and use-wear traces in various stone implements recovered from ...

Researchers resolve magnetic structures of different topological semimetals

Researchers resolve magnetic structures of different topological semimetals
2021-07-13
Topological semimetals are one of the major discoveries in condensed-matter physics in recent years. The magnetic Weyl semimetal, in which the Weyl nodes can be generated and modulated by magnetization, provides an ideal platform for the investigation of the magnetic field-tunable link between Weyl physics and magnetism. But due to the lack of appropriate or high quality specimens, most of the theoretically expected magnetic topological semimetals have not been experimentally confirmed. Therefore, exploration of new magnetic topological semimetals is of great importance. Recently, ...

Electrons in quantum liquid gain energy from laser pulses

Electrons in quantum liquid gain energy from laser pulses
2021-07-13
The absorption of energy from laser light by free electrons in a liquid has been demonstrated for the first time. Until now, this process was observed only in the gas phase. The findings, led by Graz University of Technology, open new doors for ultra-fast electron microscopy. The investigation and development of materials crucially depends on the ability to observe smallest objects at fastest time scales. The necessary spatial resolution for investigations in the (sub-)atomic range can be achieved with electron microscopy. For the most rapid processes, ...

Simulating microswimmers in nematic fluids

2021-07-13
Artificial microswimmers have received much attention in recent years. By mimicking microbes which convert their surrounding energy into swimming motions, these particles could soon be exploited for many important applications. Yet before this can happen, researchers must develop methods to better control the trajectories of individual microswimmers in complex environments. In a new study published inEPJ E, Shubhadeep Mandal at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (India), and Marco Mazza at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen (Germany) and Loughborough University (UK), show how this control could be achieved using exotic materials named 'nematic liquid crystals' (LCs) - whose viscosity and elasticity can vary depending on the direction ...

Mathematical model predicts the movement of microplastics in the ocean

2021-07-13
A new model tracking the vertical movement of algae-covered microplastic particles offers hope in the fight against plastic waste in our oceans. Research led by Newcastle University's Dr Hannah Kreczak is the first to identify the processes that underpin the trajectories of microplastics below the ocean surface. Publishing their findings in the journal Limnology and Oceanography the authors analysed how biofouling - the accumulation of algae on the surface of microplastics, impacts the vertical movement of buoyant particles. The researchers found that particle properties ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists unlock secrets behind flowering of the king of fruits

Texas A&M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Prosthetic material could help reduce infections from intravenous catheters

Can the heart heal itself? New study says it can

Microscopic discovery in cancer cells could have a big impact

Rice researchers take ‘significant leap forward’ with quantum simulation of molecular electron transfer

Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp

How everyday activities inside your home can generate energy

Inequality weakens local governance and public satisfaction, study finds

Uncovering key molecular factors behind malaria’s deadliest strain

UC Davis researchers help decode the cause of aggressive breast cancer in women of color

Researchers discovered replication hubs for human norovirus

SNU researchers develop the world’s most sensitive flexible strain sensor

Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication

Neutrality has played a pivotal, but under-examined, role in international relations, new research shows

Study reveals right whales live 130 years — or more

Researchers reveal how human eyelashes promote water drainage

Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows

DFG to fund eight new research units

Modern AI systems have achieved Turing's vision, but not exactly how he hoped

Quantum walk computing unlocks new potential in quantum science and technology

Construction materials and household items are a part of a long-term carbon sink called the “technosphere”

First demonstration of quantum teleportation over busy Internet cables

Disparities and gaps in breast cancer screening for women ages 40 to 49

US tobacco 21 policies and potential mortality reductions by state

AI-driven approach reveals hidden hazards of chemical mixtures in rivers

Older age linked to increased complications after breast reconstruction

ESA and NASA satellites deliver first joint picture of Greenland Ice Sheet melting

Early detection model for pancreatic necrosis improves patient outcomes

Poor vascular health accelerates brain ageing

[Press-News.org] Blood test can track the evolution of coronavirus infection
A blood test that quantifies the protein ACE2, the cellular protein which allows entry of the virus into cells, as well as ACE2 fragments, produced as a result of interaction with the virus, could be an effective method for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection