Cell-free DNA maps COVID-19 tissue injury and risk of death and can cause tissue injury

• Published in: JCI insight Vol. 6; no. 7
• Main Authors: Andargie, Temesgen E., Tsuji, Naoko, Seifuddin, Fayaz, Jang, Moon Kyoo, Yuen, Peter S.T., Kong, Hyesik, Tunc, Ilker, Singh, Komudi, Charya, Ananth, Wilkins, Kenneth, Nathan, Steven, Cox, Andrea, Pirooznia, Mehdi, Star, Robert A., Agbor-Enoh, Sean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Clinical Investigation 08.04.2021; American Society for Clinical investigation
• Subjects: Biomarkers - analysis; Biomarkers - blood; Cell-Free Nucleic Acids - analysis; Cell-Free Nucleic Acids - blood; Clinical Medicine; Cohort Studies; COVID-19; COVID-19 - blood; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - mortality; DNA Methylation; Female; Humans; Inflammation; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Organ Failure - blood; Multiple Organ Failure - diagnosis; Multiple Organ Failure - etiology; Organ Specificity - genetics; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Reproducibility of Results; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification; SARS-CoV-2 - pathogenicity; Severity of Illness Index; United States - epidemiology; United States; COVID-19; Inflammation; Molecular genetics; Bioinformatics
• DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.147610
• ISSN: 2379-3708

INTRODUCTIONThe clinical course of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is heterogeneous, ranging from mild to severe multiorgan failure and death. In this study, we analyzed cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a biomarker of injury to define the sources of tissue injury that contribute to such different trajectories.METHODSWe conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study to enroll patients with COVID-19 and collect plasma samples. Plasma cfDNA was subject to bisulfite sequencing. A library of tissue-specific DNA methylation signatures was used to analyze sequence reads to quantitate cfDNA from different tissue types. We then determined the correlation of tissue-specific cfDNA measures to COVID-19 outcomes. Similar analyses were performed for healthy controls and a comparator group of patients with respiratory syncytial virus and influenza.RESULTSWe found markedly elevated levels and divergent tissue sources of cfDNA in COVID-19 patients compared with patients who had influenza and/or respiratory syncytial virus and with healthy controls. The major sources of cfDNA in COVID-19 were hematopoietic cells, vascular endothelium, hepatocytes, adipocytes, kidney, heart, and lung. cfDNA levels positively correlated with COVID-19 disease severity, C-reactive protein, and D-dimer. cfDNA profile at admission identified patients who subsequently required intensive care or died during hospitalization. Furthermore, the increased cfDNA in COVID-19 patients generated excessive mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) in renal tubular cells in a concentration-dependent manner. This mtROS production was inhibited by a TLR9-specific antagonist.CONCLUSIONcfDNA maps tissue injury that predicts COVID-19 outcomes and may mechanistically propagate COVID-19-induced tissue injury.FUNDINGIntramural Targeted Anti-COVID-19 grant, NIH.