Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2021 Jan;26(1):1-2.
doi: 10.1007/s12192-020-01180-3. Epub 2020 Nov 16.

Covid-19, heat shock proteins, and autoimmune bullous diseases: a potential link deserving further attention

Michael Kasperkiewicz  1
Affiliations
Comment

Covid-19, heat shock proteins, and autoimmune bullous diseases: a potential link deserving further attention

Michael Kasperkiewicz. Cell Stress Chaperones. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

A link between Covid-19 and development of autoimmunity has been reported. A possible explanation could be molecular mimicry between SARS-CoV-2 and human proteins. Peptide sharing has been found between antigenic epitopes of this virus and heat shock proteins (Hsp) 60 and 90, both of which are associated with autoimmune diseases including those of the bullous type. In particular, there is evidence for the latter Hsp acting as a pathophysiological factor and treatment target in autoimmune blistering dermatoses. Considering multimodal anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action of anti-Hsp90 treatment and drug repositioning results, it may be hypothesized that Hsp90 inhibition could also be a treatment option for cytokine storm-mediated acute respiratory distress syndrome in Covid-19 patients. Hence, although Covid-19-induced autoimmune bullous diseases have not been described in the literature so far, the potential relationship between Covid-19, Hsp, and these autoimmune disorders deserves further attention with respect to both pathophysiology and treatment.

Keywords: Autoimmunity; Covid-19; Heat shock proteins; SARS-CoV-2.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

none.

Comment on

References

    1. Cappello F, Marino Gammazza A, Dieli F, de Macario EC, Macario AJL. Does SARS-CoV-2 trigger stress-induced autoimmunity by molecular mimicry? A hypothesis. J Clin Med. 2020;9:2038. doi: 10.3390/jcm9072038. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cugno M, Borghi A, Garcovich S, Marzano AV. Coagulation and skin autoimmunity. Front Immunol. 2019;10:1407. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01407. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ehrenfeld M, Tincani A, Andreoli L, Cattalini M, Greenbaum A, Kanduc D, Alijotas-Reig J, Zinserling V, Semenova N, Amital H, Shoenfeld Y. Covid-19 and autoimmunity. Autoimmun Rev. 2020;19:102597. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2020.102597. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kasperkiewicz M, Tukaj S, Gembicki AJ, Silló P, Görög A, Zillikens D, Kárpáti S. Evidence for a role of autoantibodies to heat shock protein 60, 70, and 90 in patients with dermatitis herpetiformis. Cell Stress Chaperones. 2014;19:837–843. doi: 10.1007/s12192-014-0507-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kasperkiewicz M (2020) COVID-19 outbreak and autoimmune bullous diseases: a systematic review of published cases. J Am Acad Dermatol. 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.08.012 - PMC - PubMed

Substances