Upper Airway Gene Expression in Hospitalized Children with Rhinovirus-induced Respiratory Illnesses

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Virology
• Transcriptomics

Background:

• Mechanisms of rhinovirus (RV)-induced respiratory illnesses remain unclear.
• Hospitalized children with viral respiratory infections require further molecular investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nasal transcriptomic differences in children hospitalized with RV and RSV infections.
• To elucidate virus-specific inflammatory pathways triggered by RV and RSV.

Main Methods:

• Nasal swabs collected from 46 children with RV (RV-A, RV-C), 12 with RSV, and 6 controls.
• Viral detection, genotyping, and quantification via PCR.
• Next-generation sequencing for RNA transcript analysis and differential gene expression using DESeq2.

Main Results:

• All viruses upregulated genes involved in granulocyte chemotaxis, epithelial remodeling, and antiviral responses; cilium-related genes were downregulated.
• RV induced greater expression of genes related to eosinophilic inflammation and mucus secretion compared to RSV.
• RV-C infections specifically increased mast cells and interferon-lambda (IFN-λ) mRNA expression, correlating with viral load.

Conclusions:

• Hospitalized children with RV and RSV infections exhibit distinct, robust inflammatory profiles.
• Nasal transcriptomics reveals virus-specific immune responses, offering insights into RV-C's role in respiratory illness severity.