Duru Cetinkaya P., Kayalar O., Eldem V., Argun Baris S., Kokturk N., Kuralay S. C., ...Daha Fazla
VIRUSES, cilt.17, sa.12, ss.1-18, 2025 (Scopus)
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Yayın Türü:
Makale / Tam Makale
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Cilt numarası:
17
Sayı:
12
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Basım Tarihi:
2025
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Doi Numarası:
10.3390/v17121608
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Dergi Adı:
VIRUSES
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Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler:
Scopus, BIOSIS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
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Sayfa Sayıları:
ss.1-18
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İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli:
Evet
Özet
This study examined the long-term transcriptomic reprogramming in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of severe COVID-19 patients and its effects for cancer development. RNA sequencing was conducted on PBMCs obtained from healthy controls, COVID-19 patients without pneumonia, and COVID-19 patients exhibiting severe pneumonia one year post-infection. Differential gene expression analysis identified a sustained pro-oncogenic molecular signature, especially among severe COVID-19 patients. Functional enrichment analysis revealed a substantial enrichment of cancer-associated pathways, encompassing apoptosis, viral carcinogenesis, and transcriptional dysregulation. Notably, the autophagy-related gene SQSTM1/P62 was recognized as a distinctive hub gene within the severe COVID-19 patients, interacting with pivotal genes associated with inflammation, apoptosis, and cancer advancement. Survival analysis demonstrated that elevated expression of COVID-19-associated hub genes correlated with unfavorable prognosis in various cancer types, including adrenocortical carcinoma, bladder urothelial carcinoma, and brain lower-grade glioma. These findings indicate that severe COVID-19 infection may establish a systemic milieu favorable to cancer development or recurrence, highlighting the necessity of prolonged oncological monitoring in these patients. Finding specific molecular targets and pathways can help us understand how COVID-19 might be linked to a higher risk of cancer.