Pathological features of COVID-19-associated lung injury:a preliminary proteomics report based on clinical samples

The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a global health emergency due to its association with severe pneumonia and relative high mortality.However,the molecular characteristics and pathological features underlying COVID-19 pneumonia remain largely unknown.To characterize molecular mechanisms underlying COVID-19 pathogenesis in the lung tissue using a proteomic approach,fresh lung tissues were obtained from newly deceased patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.After virus inactivation,a quantitative proteomic approach combined with bioinformatics analysis was used to detect proteomic changes in the SARS-CoV-2-infected lung tissues.We identified significant differentially expressed proteins involved in a variety of fundamental biological processes including cellular metabolism,blood coagulation,immune response,angiogenesis,and cell microenvironment regulation.Several inflammatory factors were upregulated,which was possibly caused by the activation of NF-κB signaling.Extensive dysregulation of the lung proteome in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection was discovered.Our results systematically outlined the molecular pathological features in terms of the lung response to SARS-CoV-2 infection,and provided the scientific basis for the therapeutic target that is urgently needed to control the COVID-19 pandemic.