Human PBMCs Form Lipid Droplets in Response to Spike Proteins

Intracellular lipid droplets (LDs) can accumulate in response to inflammation, metabolic stresses, and other physiological/pathological processes. Herein, we investigated whether spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 induce LDs in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs). PBMCs or HPMECs were incubated alone or with endotoxin-free recombinant variants of trimeric spike glycoproteins (Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, 12 µg/mL). Afterward, cells were stained with Oil Red O for LDs, cytokine release was determined through ELISA, and the gene expression was analyzed through real-time PCR using TaqMan assays. Our data show that spikes induce LDs in PBMCs but not in HPMECs. In line with this, in PBMCs, spike proteins lower the expression of genes involving lipid metabolism and LD formation, such as SREBF1, HMGCS1, LDLR, and CD36. On the other hand, PBMCs exposed to spikes for 6 or 18 h did not increase in IL-1

• Sivaraman, K.
• Pino, P.
• Raussin, G.
• Anchisi, S.
• Metayer, C.
• Dagany, N.
• Held, J.
• Wrenger, S.
• Welte, T.
• Wurm, M. J.
• Wurm, F. M.
• Olejnicka, B.
• Janciauskiene, S.