Proteome profiling of nasopharynx reveals pathophysiological signature of COVID-19 disease severity

Abstract

An aberrant innate immune system caused by the beta coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is a characteristic manifestation of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we performed proteome profiling of nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs from 273 hospitalized patients with mild and severe COVID-19 symptoms, including non-survivors. We identified depletion in STAT1-mediated type I interferon response, retinol metabolism and NRF2 antioxidant system that are associated with disease severity in our patient demography. We found that the dysregulation of glucocorticoid signaling and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) contribute to the pathophysiology of COVID-19 fatality. Hyperactivation of host innate immune system was observed in severe patients, marked by elevated proteins involved in neutrophil degranulation and platelet aggregation. Our study using high-throughput proteomics on the nasopharynx of COVID-19 patients provides additional evidence on the SARS-CoV-2-induced pathophysiological signatures of disease severity and fatality.