Correlation of Expression of MMP-2, ACE2, and TMPRSS2 Genes with Lymphopenia for Mild and Severity of COVID-19

Behrooz Ghezelbash; Mehdi Rostami; Mohammad Heidarvand; Alireza Mafi; Hamid Chegni; Nahid Eskandari

doi:10.18502/ijaai.v22i1.12011

Behrooz Ghezelbash Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran
Mehdi Rostami Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Mohammad Heidarvand Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran
Alireza Mafi Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Hamid Chegni Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Nahid Eskandari Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijaai.v22i1.12011

Keywords: ACE2; COVID; Gene; Lymphopenia; Matrix metalloproteinase

Abstract

Some risk causes may be associated with the severity of COVID-19. The central host-pathogen factors might affect infection are human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), trans-membrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), and SARS-CoV-2 surface spike (S)-protein. The main purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the expression the metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, ACE2, and TMPRSS2 genes and their correlation with lymphopenia in the mild and severe types of the COVID-19 patients.

Eighty-eight patients, aged 36 to 60 years old with the mild (n=44) and severe (n=44) types of COVID-19 were enrolled. Total RNA was isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The changes of MMP-2, MMP-9, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 gene expression in PBMCs from mild and severe COVID-19 patients were examined by the real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay and, compared between the groups. Data were collected from May 2021 to March 2022.

The mean age of the patients in both groups was 48 (interquartile range, 36–60), and there were no appreciable differences in age or gender distribution between the two groups. The present study showed that a significant increase in the expression of ACE2, TMPRSS2, MMP-2, and MMP-9 genes in the severe type of the COVID-19 patients compared, to the mild type of the COVID-19 patients.

Overall, it suggests the expression levels of these genes on the PBMC surface in the immune system are susceptible to infection by SARS-COV-2 and therefore could potentially predict the patients’ outcome.