Single-cell RNA sequencing identify SDCBP in ACE2-positive bronchial epithelial cells negatively correlates with COVID-19 severity

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in many deaths throughout the world. It is vital to identify the novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets to assist with the subsequent diagnosis and treatment plan to mitigate the expansion of COVID-19. Since angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-positive cells are hosts for COVID-19, we focussed on this cell type to explore the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19. In this study, we identified that ACE2-positive cells from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with COVID-19 belong to bronchial epithelial cells. Comparing with patients of COVID-19 showing severe symptoms, the antigen processing and presentation pathway was increased and 12 typical genes, HLA-DRB5, HLA-DRB1, CD74, HLA-DRA, HLA-DPA1, HLA-DQA1, HSP90AA1, HSP90AB1, HLA-DPB1, HLA-DQB1, HLA-DQA2, and HLA-DMA, particularly HLA-DPB1, were obviously up-regulated in ACE2-positive bronchial epithelial cells of patients with mild disease. We further discovered SDCBP was positively correlated with above 12 genes particularly with HLA-DPB1 in ACE2-positive bronchial epithelial cells of COVID-19 patients. Moreover, SDCBP may increase the immune infiltration of B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells in different lung carcinoma. Moreover, we found the expression of SDCBP was positively correlated with the expression of antigen processing and presentation genes in post-mortem lung biopsies tissues, which is consistent with previous discoveries. These results suggest that SDCBP has good potential to be further developed as a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target in the treatment of COVID-19.

Keywords: ACE2; COVID-19; HuRI (human reference interactome); SDCBP (Syndecan-Binding Protein); WGCNA (weighted gene co expression network analysis); antigen processing and presentation.