COVID-19 Suppresses Innate Immunity in the Gut – Diseases

Molecular biologists from Germany have discovered that the coronavirus blocks the work of genes associated with the work of innate immunity and the production of interferons, antiviral protein molecules, when it enters intestinal cells, BTA reported.

The results of their experiments are published in the electronic library bioRxiv.

“Our experiments show that the SARS-CoV-2 virus suppresses the immune response in immature enterocytes, the primary cells of the human intestine. This allows it to multiply and spread in the body, and also turns the digestive system into a reservoir of inflammation.” , the researchers wrote. .

According to current knowledge, infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus leads to severe immune system disorders, massive inflammation, microthrombus formation, and other life-threatening problems in themselves. Now scientists are trying to understand why they occur and how to prevent their development.

A group of molecular biologists led by Megan Stanifer from the University of Heidelberg discovered the unexpected effect coronavirus has on the innate immune system and human intestines, studying how it multiplies in a model that mimics the structure of the small intestine.

Scientists have studied what types of intestinal cells infect SARS-CoV-2 and what are the consequences of penetration of the virus into them. Initially, biologists expected the probability of infection and the number of cells affected to depend on the level of activity of the ACE2 gene, which the coronavirus uses to penetrate lung tissue. However, this has not been confirmed.

Doctors warned of possible risk in people who had COVID-19 without symptoms

Subsequent observations have shown that the penetration of the virus has led to the opposite: the activity of this gene has decreased, the reasons for which are not yet clear. In addition, the penetration of the virus stops a series of genes involved in the response of cells to interferons, complex protein molecules that can neutralize virus particles and, at the same time, activate immunity in already infected and still healthy cells.

Such a characteristic of SARS-CoV-2, as scientists suggest, allows this virus to multiply in the intestine for a long time and penetrate into other areas of the body, as well as creating favorable conditions for its existence in the digestive system.