Recent studies have focused their attention on conjunctivitis as one of the symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, tear samples were taken from COVID-19 patients and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 was evidenced using Real Time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The main aim of this study was to analyze mRNA expression in the tears of patients with COVID-19 compared with healthy subjects using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The functional evaluation of the transcriptome highlighted 25 genes that differ statistically between healthy individuals and patients affected by COVID-19. In particular, the NGS analysis identified the presence of several genes involved in B cell signaling and keratinization. In particular, the genes involved in B cell signaling were downregulated in the tears of COVID-19 patients, while those involved in keratinization were upregulated. The results indicated that SARS-CoV-2 may induce a process of ocular keratinization and a defective B cell response.
【저자키워드】 viral infection, Diagnostic markers, Gene Expression, Prognostic markers, Predictive markers, Gene regulation, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus disease, Transcriptome, SARS-CoV-2, Coronavirus disease 2019, NGS, Symptom, B cell, Cell signaling, polymerase chain reaction, Patient, next generation sequencing, reverse transcription, conjunctivitis, COVID-19 patients, Signaling, Analysis, COVID-19 patient, B cell response, Chain Reaction, healthy subjects, healthy individuals, Real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, several genes, mRNA expression, keratinization, tears, ocular, recent, time, polymerase chain, affected, involved, indicated, functional, induce, several gene, upregulated, evidenced, downregulated, healthy subject, healthy individual, statistically, patients with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 Analysis, COVID-19 patient, increased expression, involved,