SARS-CoV-2 Binding To Host DPP4 Receptors Causes Dysregulation Of Proteins Associated With Diabetes

Medical News – DDP4, Diabetes And COVID-19 Severity  Jan 18, 2022  7 hours agoA new study by researchers from the department of Endocrine and Metabolism at the Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, Zhejiang-China has found that SARS-CoV-2 virus binding to human host DPP4 receptors causes dysregulation of proteins associated with diabetes, which in turn often leads to disease severity in COVID-19.

The DPP4 dipeptidyl peptidase-4 protein is one of the functional receptors of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Exploring the relationship between diabetes mellitus targets and DPP4 is particularly important for the management of patients with diabetes and COVID-19.

The study findings showed that COVID-19 may affect DPP4 and key proteins in patients with diabetes mellitus, leading to high mortality of diabetes mellitus combined with COVID-19. DPP4 inhibitors and IL-6 antagonists can be considered to reduce the effect of COVID-19 infection on patients with diabetes.
 
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Scientific Reports (Nature). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-03912-6

Due to the high prevalence and long incubation periods often without symptoms, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected hundreds of millions of people around the world, causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic1.

Recent studies have shown that dipeptidyl peptidase-4(DPP4) is one of the functional receptor of human coronavirus2,3,4,5. SARS-CoV-2 Virus S protein can infect the body by acting on this receptor of bronchiolar epithelial cells6. DPP4 also known as CD26, is a serine exopeptidase, a multifunctional type-II transmembrane glycoprotein that presents in a dimeric form on the cell surface. DPP4 is multifunctional, highly conserved among mammals.

It regulates the activities of peptide hormones, neuropeptides, cytokines and growth factors, but also act as a surface antigen to cooperate with other molecules or proteins to mediate the interaction between cells and matrix, cells and cells, and play various regulatory roles in immune activation, inflammatory response and tumorigenesis7.

DPP4 inhibitors are a kind of hypoglycemic drugs which have been widely used in patients with diabetes. DPP4 can decompose glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which can stimulate insulin secretion.

DPP4 inhibitors can effectively antagonize this effect and then control blood glucose, especially postprandial blood glucose, and improve glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and other symptoms of patients by inhibiting the degradation of GLP-18. Patients with diabetes are more likely to be infected with COVID-19, and the risk of death is significantly higher than ordinary patients9,10.

Current studies have shown that DPP4 inhibitors can be considered as the preferred hypoglycemic regimen in the treatment of patients with diabetes with COVID-19 infection11.

Exploring the relationship between DPP4 and diabetes targets is particularly important for the management of patients with diabetes and COVID-19.In order to strengthen the management of patients with diabetes with COVID-19, we intend to study the protein interaction through the protein interaction network, and evaluate the degree of protein–protein correlation through the correlation score.

Based on the String database, this paper analyzes the relationship between DPP4 and diabetic protein targets, in order to find a new clue for the management of patients with diabetes with COVID-19.

Conclusions

DPP4 was widely associated with key proteins in diabetes mellitus. COVID-19 may affect DPP4 in patients with diabetes mellitus, leading to high mortality of diabetes mellitus combined with COVID-19. DPP4 inhibitors and IL-6 antagonists can be considered to reduce the effect of COVID-19 infection on patients with diabetes.