Systems-level temporal immune-metabolic profile in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus infection

Abstract:

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) caused by CCHF virus (CCHFV) is one of the epidemic-prone diseases prioritized by the World Health Organisation as public health emergency with an urgent need for accelerated research. The trajectory of host response against CCHFV is multifarious and remains unknown. Here, we reported the temporal spectrum of pathogenesis following the CCHFV infection using genome-wide blood transcriptomics analysis followed by advanced systems biology analysis, temporal immune-pathogenic alterations, and context-specific progressive and postinfection genome-scale metabolic models (GSMM) on samples collected during the acute (T0), early convalescent (T1), and convalescent-phase (T2).

The interplay between the retinoic acid-inducible gene-I-like/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor and tumor necrosis factor signaling governed the trajectory of antiviral immune responses. The rearrangement of intracellular metabolic fluxes toward the amino acid metabolism and metabolic shift toward oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid oxidation during acute CCHFV infection determine the pathogenicity. The upregulation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle during CCHFV infection, compared to the noninfected healthy control and between the severity groups, indicated an increased energy demand and cellular stress. The upregulation of glycolysis and pyruvate metabolism potentiated energy generation through alternative pathways associated with the severity of the infection.

The downregulation of metabolic processes at the convalescent phase identified by blood cell transcriptomics and single-cell type proteomics of five immune cells (CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, CD14+ monocytes, B cells, and NK cells) potentially leads to metabolic rewiring through the recovery due to hyperactivity during the acute phase leading to post-viral fatigue syndrome.

Source: Ambikan AT, Elaldi N, Svensson-Akusjärvi S, Bagci B, Pektas AN, Hewson R, Bagci G, Arasli M, Appelberg S, Mardinoglu A, Sood V, Végvári Á, Benfeitas R, Gupta S, Cetin I, Mirazimi A, Neogi U. Systems-level temporal immune-metabolic profile in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Sep 12;120(37):e2304722120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2304722120. Epub 2023 Sep 5. PMID: 37669378; PMCID: PMC10500270. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10500270/ (Full text)

Sequential multi-omics analysis identifies clinical phenotypes and predictive biomarkers for long COVID

Abstract:

The post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), also known as long COVID, is often associated with debilitating symptoms and adverse multisystem consequences. We obtain plasma samples from 117 individuals during and 6 months following their acute phase of infection to comprehensively profile and assess changes in cytokines, proteome, and metabolome.

Network analysis reveals sustained inflammatory response, platelet degranulation, and cellular activation during convalescence accompanied by dysregulation in arginine biosynthesis, methionine metabolism, taurine metabolism, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle processes.

Furthermore, we develop a prognostic model composed of 20 molecules involved in regulating T cell exhaustion and energy metabolism that can reliably predict adverse clinical outcomes following discharge from acute infection with 83% accuracy and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.96.

Our study reveals pertinent biological processes during convalescence that differ from acute infection, and it supports the development of specific therapies and biomarkers for patients suffering from long COVID.

Source: Wang K, Khoramjoo M, Srinivasan K, Gordon PMK, Mandal R, Jackson D, Sligl W, Grant MB, Penninger JM, Borchers CH, Wishart DS, Prasad V, Oudit GY. Sequential multi-omics analysis identifies clinical phenotypes and predictive biomarkers for long COVID. Cell Rep Med. 2023 Oct 18:101254. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101254. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37890487. https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(23)00431-7 (Full text)

Changes in TCA cycle and TCA cycle-related metabolites in plasma upon citric acid administration in rats

Abstract:

Recent studies have reported that plasma levels of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites and TCA cycle-related metabolite change in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and in healthy humans after exercise. Exogenous dietary citric acid has been reported to alleviate fatigue during daily activities and after exercise. However, it is unknown whether dietary citric acid affects the plasma levels of these metabolites. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenously administered citric acid on TCA cycle metabolites and TCA cycle-related metabolites in plasma.

Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and citric acid groups. We evaluated the effect of exogenous dietary citric acid on the plasma TCA cycle and TCA cycle-related metabolites by metabolome analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). TCA cycle metabolites, including plasma citrate, cis-aconitate, and isocitrate, were significantly elevated after exogenous administration of citric acid. Anaplerotic amino acids, which are converted to TCA cycle metabolites, such as serine, glycine, tryptophan, lysine, leucine, histidine, glutamine, arginine, isoleucine, methionine, valine, and phenylalanine, also showed significantly elevated levels.

Citric acid administration significantly increased the levels of initial TCA cycle metabolites in the plasma. This increase after administration of citric acid was shown to be opposite to the metabolic changes observed in patients with CFS. These results contribute novel insight into the fatigue alleviation mechanism of citric acid.

Source: Hara Y, Kume S, Kataoka Y, Watanabe N. Changes in TCA cycle and TCA cycle-related metabolites in plasma upon citric acid administration in rats. Heliyon. 2021 Dec 4;7(12):e08501. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08501. PMID: 34934832; PMCID: PMC8654791. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34934832/