Background and Aim :
SARS-CoV-۲ is a novel beta-coronavirus that causes the current
COVID-۱۹ pandemic. Previous studies have shown that coronaviruses use various cellular mechanismssuch as autophagy to increase their replication.
Autophagy is responsible for the selective removalof dysfunctional organelles, intracellular pathogens, and misplaced proteins, as well as theregulation of the immune response. Then autophagy is closely related to the host inflammatoryresponse.
Autophagy has a protective role in reducing the excessive release of cytokines inARDS[۱-۳]. Analysis of transcriptome data in the lung cell line infected with
SARS-CoV-۲ hasshown a change in the autophagy response[۴]. SARS-CoV ORF-۹b protein could induceautophagy and activate NF-κB[۵]. Induction of autophagy also seems to be one of the primaryfunctions of cGAS-STING. The cGAS-STING pathway induces autophagy directly via Beclin-۱or LC۳-dependent pathways[۱]. Inhibition of autophagy in the first stage of
COVID-۱۹ may leadto the regulation of the interferon antiviral response and inhibition of viral replication. Activationof autophagy in the late stage of the disease could lead to reduce inflammation and balance theimmune response. For these reasons, autophagy-related therapeutic maybe useful for COVID-۱۹[۶]. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression level of autophagy-related Beclin-۱ inCOVID-۱۹ patients compared to healthy controls.Methods : In this case-control study, blood samples were taken from ۱۵ patients with COVID-۱۹and also ۱۵ healthy controls. After total RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, we used Real-timePCR to evaluate the expression level of Beclin-۱. The data were analyzed by ۲-ΔΔCt method. ROCcurve analysis was also performed to evaluate diagnostic accuracy.Results : The result shows that expression level of Beclin-۱ in
COVID-۱۹ patients was upregulatedcompared to the healthy controls (Fold change=۱, p value=۰.۰۳). The area under thecurve (AUC) of Beclin-۱ for diagnosing
COVID-۱۹ compared to controls was ۰.۸۸ (۹۵% CI= ۰.۷۵to ۱, p value=۰.۰۰) and the optimal cut-off value was calculated to be >۰.۰۰۰۹ (Sensitivity ۱۰۰%;Specificity ۷۳.۳۳%).Conclusion : According to our results, blood Beclin-۱ expression levels may serve as a potentialbiomarker for
COVID-۱۹ diagnosis.