Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Role of Inflammation in the Co-occurrence of Primary Sjogren's Syndrome and Lung Adenocarcinoma
Published on: September 20, 2024
Gene Polymorphisms of Epithelial Cell-Derived Alarmins and Their Effects on Protein Levels and Disease Severity in
Maral Ranjbar1, Ruth P Cusack1, Christiane E Whetstone1
1Department of Medicine, Division of Respirology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada.
Background:
The immune response in COVID-19 is characterized by the release of alarmin cytokines, which play crucial roles in immune activation and inflammation. The interplay between these cytokines and genetic variations may influence disease severity and outcomes, while sex differences might further contribute to variations in the immune response.
Methods:
We measured the levels of alarmin cytokines in a cohort of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients using a sensitive Meso Scale Discovery system. Additionally, we conducted an SNP analysis to identify genetic variations within the IL-33 and TSLP genes. The association between these genetic variations, cytokine production, and COVID-19 severity was examined.
Results:
Our findings revealed elevated levels of IL-33 and IL-25 in COVID-19-positive patients compared to COVID-19-negative patients (p < 0.05), indicating their potential as therapeutic targets for disease modulation. Moreover, a minor allele within the IL-33 gene (rs3939286) was found to be associated with a protective effect against severe COVID-19 (p < 0.05), and minor alleles of the TSLP gene (rs2289276 and rs13806933) were found to significantly reduce TSLP protein levels in serum (p < 0.05). Sex-specific effects of TSLP and IL-33 SNPs were observed, suggesting a potential influence of sex hormones and genetic variations on the regulation of cytokine production.
Conclusion:
The present study highlights the importance of alarmin cytokines and genetic variations in COVID-19 severity, providing valuable insights into personalized treatment approaches. Our results suggest that targeting alarmin cytokines may offer potential therapeutic benefits in managing COVID-19. Furthermore, the sex-specific effects of genetic variations emphasize the need to consider individual genetic profiles and sex differences when designing targeted interventions.
More Related Videos
14:48Flow Cytometric Isolation of Primary Murine Type II Alveolar Epithelial Cells for Functional and Molecular Studies
Published on: December 26, 2012
10:49Efficient Transcriptionally Controlled Plasmid Expression System for Investigation of the Stability of mRNA Transcripts in Primary Alveolar Epithelial Cells
Published on: March 6, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
Leaky Scanning