| The latest member of the Coronaviridae family, called SARS-CoV-2, causes the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease has caused a pandemic and is
threatening global health. Similar to SARS-CoV, this new virus can potentially infect lower
respiratory tract cells and can go on to cause severe acute respiratory tract syndrome,
followed by pneumonia and even death in many nations. The molecular mechanism of
the disease has not yet been evaluated until now. We analyzed the GSE1739 microarray
dataset including 10 SARS-positive PBMC and four normal PBMC. Co-expression
network analysis by WGCNA suggested that highly preserved 833 turquoise module
with genes were significantly related to SARS-CoV infection. ELANE, ORM2, RETN,
BPI, ARG1, DEFA4, CXCL1, and CAMP were the most important genes involved in
this disease according to GEO2R analysis as well. The GO analysis demonstrated
that neutrophil activation and neutrophil degranulation are the most activated biological
processes in the SARS infection as well as the neutrophilia, basophilia, and lymphopenia
predicted by deconvolution analysis of samples. Thus, using Serpins and Arginase
inhibitors during SARS-CoV infection may be beneficial for increasing the survival of
SARS-positive patients. Regarding the high similarity of SARS-CoV-2 to SARS-CoV, the
use of such inhibitors might be beneficial for COVID-19 patients. |