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. 2022;11(1):55-63.
doi: 10.22088/IJMCM.BUMS.11.1.55. Epub 2022 Oct 3.

ACE-2 Expression and Methylation Pattern in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid and Bloods of Iranian ARDS Covid-19 Patients

Reza Najafipour  1 , Davood Mohammadi  2 , Mabood Momeni  3 , Sahar Moghbelinejad  4
Affiliations

ACE-2 Expression and Methylation Pattern in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid and Bloods of Iranian ARDS Covid-19 Patients

Reza Najafipour et al. Int J Mol Cell Med. 2022.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and methylation pattern of the angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) covid-9 patients. A total of 25 patients with covid-19 ARDS and 20 controls were recruited. Expression of the ACE-2 gene was evaluated by quantitative real time PCR, and methylation of CpG dinucleotides, in the ACE-2 promoter, was quantified using bisulfite pyro-sequencing. Our results showed high expression of the ACE-2 gene in the blood samples of ADRS patients (1.93± 0.67) in comparison to controls (0.62±0.35) (P = 0.03). Correspondingly, in ARDS bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples, there was a high expression of this gene (1.8±0.78) in comparison to controls (0.58±0.2) (p <0.05). Moreover, the methylation rate of the ACE-2 gene in blood samples of ARDS patients was 64.07 ±6.1 in comparison to controls (80.3 ±7.3) (p<0.0001). In BALF samples, there was this pattern too (55.07 ±3.1 vs. 72.35±5.1) (p<0.0001). Finally, a significant correlation was found between expression and methylation in BALF (R= -0.54, P= 0.002) and blood (R= -0.321, P= 0.013) samples. These results indicated that aberrant methylation of the ACE-2 promoter might be associated with high expression of this gene and the occurrence of ARDS in covid-19 patients.

Keywords: ACE-2; Covid-19; expression; methylation.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a) Shows high expression rate of ACE-2 gene in balf samples of ADRS patients in comparison to controls (p<0.03). b) shows comparison of expression of ACE-2 gene in blood samples of ARDS patients in comparison to controls (p<0.05)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a) Showed significant low methylation frequency of ACE-2 gene in BALF of ARDS patients (p<0.0001). b) and in blood samples (p<0.0001).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Pyrosequencing method was used to measure the ACE-2 methylation level. a) ACE-2 methyalation rate in BALF samples of ADRS covid-19 patients (55.7%). b) and in controls (72.35%). The percent (%) is the methylation level of each CpG site was estimated by the proportion of C (%), after bisulfite conversion
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