A specific gene has been identified that increases the death rate of patients with novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
The Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST, UNIST) conducted a study conducted by Professor Sang-Jun Lee of the Department of Life Sciences with researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the United States. As a result, the ‘ZBP1’ gene, known as the innate immune sensor, is Cytokine) has been shown to increase the death rate of COVID-19 patients by inducing storms.
The ZBP1 gene recognizes the virus that has penetrated into the cell and gives a signal to make an immune protein cytokine, but when the Corona 19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) penetrates, it forms excessively.
The research team found the ZBP1 gene after removing the gene of a macrophage infected with the Corona 19 virus using genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screening. They also found that macrophages in which the ZBP1 gene is present are killed by a cytokine storm after infection with the Corona 19 virus, but do not die when this gene is removed.
The research team also found that ‘Interferon’, a proteinaceous substance made from virus-infected cells, strongly expresses the ZBP1 gene, causing inflammatory cell death and cytokine storm. For this reason, the researchers explain that interferon therapy is not effective against COVID-19.
In experiments on small animals infected with the Corona 19 virus, all small animals injected with interferon in the presence of the ZBP1 gene died.
Professor Lee said, “Immune cells play an important role in fighting pathogens, but if done wrong, they are a ‘double-edged sword’ that attacks themselves, so the balance of immune cell activation is important. It was said to cause death,” he said.
Professor Lee said, “Interferon is an immune substance that is secreted after the immune sensor recognizes a virus, etc., and it does not fight the virus itself, but serves as a messenger to create a protein that can fight it.” “The ZBP1 gene is also “It is thought to cause a cytokine storm when expressed more strongly.”
Professor Lee continued, “If we can control the expression of the ZBP1 gene, we can create a new drug to treat COVID-19 patients by balancing the activation of immune cells. Because it prevents infection, it will be able to have universality that can treat any virus.”
The paper ‘ZBP1-dependent inflammatory cell death, PANoptosis, and cytokine storm disrupt IFN therapeutic efficacy during coronavirus infection’ containing the results of this study was published in the international scientific journal ‘Science Immunology’.