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Abnormal antibodies to self-carbohydrates in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients

Dorothy L. Butler, Jeffrey C. Gildersleeve
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.15.341479
Dorothy L. Butler
Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702
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Jeffrey C. Gildersleeve
Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702
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  • For correspondence: gildersj@mail.nih.gov
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Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 is a deadly virus that is causing the global pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our immune system plays a critical role in preventing, clearing, and treating the virus, but aberrant immune responses can contribute to deleterious symptoms and mortality. Many aspects of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 are being investigated, but little is known about immune responses to carbohydrates. Since the surface of the virus is heavily glycosylated, pre-existing antibodies to glycans could potentially recognize the virus and influence disease progression. Furthermore, antibody responses to carbohydrates could be induced, affecting disease severity and clinical outcome. In this study, we used a carbohydrate antigen microarray with over 800 individual components to profile serum anti-glycan antibodies in COVID-19 patients and healthy control subjects. In COVID-19 patients, we observed abnormally high IgG and IgM antibodies to numerous self-glycans, including gangliosides, N-linked glycans, LacNAc-containing glycans, blood group H, and sialyl Lewis X. Some of these anti-glycan antibodies are known to play roles in autoimmune diseases and neurological disorders, which may help explain some of the unusual and prolonged symptoms observed in COVID-19 patients. The detection of antibodies to self-glycans has important implications for using convalescent serum to treat patients, developing safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, and understanding the risks of infection. In addition, this study provides new insight into the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 and illustrates the importance of including host and viral carbohydrate antigens when studying immune responses to viruses.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. This article is a US Government work. It is not subject to copyright under 17 USC 105 and is also made available for use under a CC0 license.
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Posted October 16, 2020.
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Abnormal antibodies to self-carbohydrates in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients
Dorothy L. Butler, Jeffrey C. Gildersleeve
bioRxiv 2020.10.15.341479; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.15.341479
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Abnormal antibodies to self-carbohydrates in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients
Dorothy L. Butler, Jeffrey C. Gildersleeve
bioRxiv 2020.10.15.341479; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.15.341479

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