Human molecular chaperones share with SARS-CoV-2 antigenic epitopes potentially capable of eliciting autoimmunity against endothelial cells: possible role of molecular mimicry in COVID-19
Author
Marino Gammazza, AntonellaLégaré, Sébastien
Lo Bosco, Giosuè
Fucarino, Alberto
Angileri, Francesca
Conway de Macario, Everly

Macario, Alberto Jl
Cappello, Francesco
Date
2020-08-04Journal
Cell Stress and ChaperonesPublisher
Springer NatureType
Article
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of COVID-19 disease, has the potential to elicit autoimmunity because mimicry of human molecular chaperones by viral proteins. We compared viral proteins with human molecular chaperones, many of which are heat shock proteins, to determine if they share amino acid-sequence segments with immunogenic-antigenic potential, which can elicit cross-reactive antibodies and effector immune cells with the capacity to damage-destroy human cells by a mechanism of autoimmunity. We identified the chaperones that can putatively participate in molecular mimicry phenomena after SARS-CoV-2 infection, focusing on those for which endothelial cell plasma-cell membrane localization has already been demonstrated. We also postulate that post-translational modifications, induced by physical (shear) and chemical (metabolic) stress caused respectively by the risk factors hypertension and diabetes, might have a role in determining plasma-cell membrane localization and, in turn, autoimmune-induced endothelial damage.Keyword
AutoimmunityCOVID-19
Endothelialitis
Molecular chaperones
Molecular mimicry
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Identifier to cite or link to this item
http://hdl.handle.net/10713/13563ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1007/s12192-020-01148-3