Proteomic Evolution from Acute to Post-COVID-19 Conditions.

Area of Science:

• Proteomics
• Immunology
• Pulmonology

Background:

• Post-COVID-19 conditions affect many survivors, with females at higher risk.
• Understanding protein level changes is crucial for managing long COVID.
• Differences in protein signatures between sexes may explain varying disease severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate protein level alterations from acute COVID-19 to post-COVID-19 conditions.
• To identify sex-specific plasma protein signatures.
• To correlate protein levels with pulmonary function metrics like FVC and DLCO.

Main Methods:

• Measured protein concentrations in 74 patients at admission, 3, and 6 months post-diagnosis.
• Utilized multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with 269 heavy-labeled peptides.
• Assessed pulmonary function using predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO).

Main Results:

• Proteins in six lipid-related pathways increased from admission to 6 months.
• Proteins involved in innate immunity and vasoconstriction decreased over time.
• Eight proteins associated with FVC and five with DLCO showed significant predictive value.

Conclusions:

• Lipid biology appears to drive the progression of post-COVID-19 conditions.
• Decreased innate immunity and vascular regulation pathways are characteristic of the post-COVID-19 state.
• Sex-based differences in protein profiles exist and correlate with pulmonary function deficits.