Role of Surfactant Protein D (SP-D) in COVID-19
Abstract
Rationale: Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a major immune protective molecule produced in the respiratory epithelium. SP-D binds to specific pathogen surfaces through its carbohydrate recognition (lectin) domain, that helps in their neutralization and clearance by phagocytes. SP-D also acts as an anti-inflammatory molecule. We hypothesized that SP-D plays a protective role in COVID-19. Methods: Polar+, a novel quantum computing algorithm for molecular pruning, and classical in silico modeling were used to investigate potential binding sites between SP-D and SARS CoV2. Electronegativity and topologically oriented molecular pruning, calculation of electronic force-fields and electrostatic binding combined with protein-protein docking, geometric fitting and assessment of protein glycosylation sites were employed. SP-D-/- mouse lung was used to study expression of the SARS-CoV-2 viral entry molecules TMPRSS2 and ACE2. Plasma from COVID-19 patients was studied for SP-D leakage, cytokine levels and lipid mediators. Results: We found that SP-D potentially binds to the same SARS CoV-2 glycoprotein (S protein) that it utilizes to bind the cellular receptor, ACE2, with high affinity. However, SP-D binds to subunit 2, instead of subunit 1 (that ACE2 utilizes). Additional studies will need to determine if SP-D binding affects S protein and ACE2 interactions. We also found that SP-D-/- mice had increased expression of the TMRSS2 gene in the lung and that both TMPRSS2 and ACE2 mRNA levels…
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