COVID-19 severity: Is higher number of Goblet cell is responsible?

COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019), caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection, is more severe in people with chronic lung complications because of the presence of higher number of goblet cells in lung, recently reported in Microbiology Spectrum, a renowned journal of American Society for Microbiology (ASM). 

This research was conducted by a group of researchers under the supervision of Dr. Masfique Mehedi from University of North Dakota, USA in collaboration with Dr. Heinz Feldmann lab from National Institute of Health (NIH), USA.

Goblet cells are specialized cells of lung, mainly responsible for mucus secretion. Abnormal increase of goblet cell is known as goblet cell hyperplasia which is a common feature of different lung diseases including Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Respiratory visuses need to interact with receptors present on host respiratory cells to initiate the infection. These research groups have revealed that goblet cells contain higher number of entry receptors (ACE2, TMPRSS2) of SARS-CoV-2, as a result, SARS-CoV-2 infects more goblet cells than other lung cells including ciliated cells. As COPD patients have more goblet cells compared to healthy people, therefore, COPD patient are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Before COVID-19, we have faced multiple coronavirus (SARS CoV-1, MERS CoV) pandemics globally. SARS-CoV-1 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1) was responsible for severe global outbreak started from China in 2002-2004. MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) pandemic started from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2012. SARS CoV-1 and MERS CoV related pandemic were less severe than COVID-19 but the reason behind this severity has not explored yet. This study has evidently demonstrated that  SARS CoV-2 infection is more pathogenic in COPD patients compated to SARS CoV-1 and MERS CoV infection.

Despite extensive vaccination, people throughout the world are still suffering because of COVID-19 when it started from Wuhan, China since 2019. The interaction of host and this coronavirus as well as subsequent mechanism of lung complication is still a mystery. Sattya Narayan Talukdar, one of the lead contributors of this project, adds that SARS-CoV-2 preferentially infects goblet cells and future researchers should focus on targeting goblet cell which can lead to future anti-COVID19 therapeutics.

Reference: Jaspreet Osan, Sattya N. Talukdar, Friederike Feldmann, Beth Ann DeMontigny, Kailey Jerome, Kristina L. Bailey, Heinz Feldmann, and Masfique Mehedi. "Goblet Cell Hyperplasia Increases SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease." Microbiology Spectrum (2022): e00459-22.