New-onset IgG autoantibodies in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Abstract

COVID-19 is associated with a wide range of clinical manifestations, including autoimmune features and autoantibody production. Here we develop three protein arrays to measure IgG autoantibodies associated with connective tissue diseases, anti-cytokine antibodies, and anti-viral antibody responses in serum from 147 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Autoantibodies are identified in approximately 50% of patients but in less than 15% of healthy controls. When present, autoantibodies largely target autoantigens associated with rare disorders such as myositis, systemic sclerosis and overlap syndromes. A subset of autoantibodies targeting traditional autoantigens or cytokines develop de novo following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Autoantibodies track with longitudinal development of IgG antibodies recognizing SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins and a subset of non-structural proteins, but not proteins from influenza, seasonal coronaviruses or other pathogenic viruses. We conclude that SARS-CoV-2 causes development of new-onset IgG autoantibodies in a significant proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and are positively correlated with immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

• Authors: Sarah Esther Chang, Allan Feng, Wenzhao Meng, Sokratis A Apostolidis, Elisabeth Mack, Maja Artandi, Linda Barman, Kate Bennett, Saborni Chakraborty, Iris Chang, Peggie Cheung, Sharon Chinthrajah, Shaurya Dhingra, Evan Do, Amanda Finck, Andrew Gaano, Reinhard Geßner, Heather M Giannini, Joyce Gonzalez, Sarah Greib, Margrit Gündisch, Alex Ren Hsu, Alex Kuo, Monali Manohar, Rong Mao, Indira Neeli, Andreas Neubauer, Oluwatosin Oniyide, Abigail E Powell, Rajan Puri, Harald Renz, Jeffrey Schapiro, Payton A Weidenbacher, Richard Wittman, Neera Ahuja, Ho-Ryun Chung, Prasanna Jagannathan, Judith A James, Peter S Kim, Nuala J Meyer, Kari C Nadeau, Marko Radic, William H Robinson, Upinder Singh, Taia T Wang, E John Wherry, Chrysanthi Skevaki, Eline T Luning Prak, Paul J Utz
• Journal: Nature communications (Nat Commun) Vol. 12 Issue 1 Pg. 5417 (09 14 2021) ISSN: 2041-1723 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 34521836 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2021. The Author(s).

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Antinuclear
• Antibodies, Viral
• Autoantibodies
• Autoantigens
• Cytokines
• Immunoglobulin G
• Viral Proteins

Topics

• Aged
• Antibodies, Antinuclear (blood, immunology)
• Antibodies, Viral (blood, immunology)
• Autoantibodies (blood, immunology)
• Autoantigens (immunology)
• COVID-19 (immunology)
• Connective Tissue Diseases (immunology)
• Cytokines (immunology)
• Female
• Hospitalization
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin G (blood, immunology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• SARS-CoV-2 (immunology, pathogenicity)
• Viral Proteins (immunology)