How a single viral protein hijacks immune cells to supercharge COVID-19 infection
In the sickest COVID-19 patients, SARS-CoV-2 doesn't just cause severe damage by directly infecting airway cells. The virus can also trigger hyperinflammation—a cycle in which immune cells themselves become infected, stop fighting the virus and instead trigger high levels of inflammation throughout the lungs.
The COVID-19 RNA vaccine SpikevaxTM, developed by Moderna Inc., is found to transfect human umbilical venous endothelial cells, leading to the production of the Spike protein. This process triggers inflammation and promotes leukocyte adhesion, which contributes to the pathogenesis of severe and critical COVID-19. These findings offer insight into the mechanisms behind post-COVID-19 RNA vaccination pathologies, including atherosclerosis, autoimmune inflammation, and systemic inflammatory conditions, all of which stem from endothelial dysfunction caused by the direct interaction of SARS-CoV-2 Spike proteins with endothelial cells.
Written by urgent.news from bioRxiv's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
