2. Academic Validation
  3. JAK inhibitors dampen activation of interferon-stimulated transcription of ACE2 isoforms in human airway epithelial cells

JAK inhibitors dampen activation of interferon-stimulated transcription of ACE2 isoforms in human airway epithelial cells

  • Commun Biol. 2021 Jun 2;4(1):654. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02167-1.
Hye Kyung Lee 1,  Olive Jung 2 3,  Lothar Hennighausen 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. hyekyung.lee@nih.gov.
  • 2 Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
  • 3 Biomedical Ultrasonics & Biotherapy Laboratory, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Engineering Science, Old Road Campus Research Building, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, UK.
  • 4 Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. lotharh@niddk.nih.gov.
PMID: 34079039 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02167-1
Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 Infection of human airway epithelium activates genetic programs leading to progressive hyperinflammation in COVID-19 patients. Here, we report on transcriptomes activated in primary airway cells by interferons and their suppression by Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Deciphering the regulation of the angiotensin-converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, is paramount for understanding the cell tropism of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. ChIP-seq for activating histone marks and Pol II loading identified candidate enhancer elements controlling the ACE2 locus, including the intronic dACE2 promoter. Employing RNA-seq, we demonstrate that interferons activate expression of dACE2 and, to a lesser extent, the genuine ACE2 gene. Interferon-induced gene expression was mitigated by the JAK inhibitors baricitinib and ruxolitinib, used therapeutically in COVID-19 patients. Through integrating RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data we provide an in-depth understanding of genetic programs activated by interferons, and our study highlights JAK inhibitors as suitable tools to suppress these in bronchial cells.

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