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Apart from autopsy, tissue correlates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clinical stage are lacking. In the current study, cutaneous punch biopsy specimens of 15 individuals with severe/critical COVID-19 and six with mild/moderate COVID-19 were examined. Evidence for arterial and venous microthrombi, deposition of C5b-9 and MASP2 (representative of alternative and lectin complement pathways, respectively), and differential expression of interferon type I-driven antiviral protein MxA (myxovirus resistance A) versus SIN3A, a promoter of interferon type I-based proinflammatory signaling, were assessed. Control subjects included nine patients with sepsis-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and/or acute kidney injury (AKI) pre-COVID-19. Microthrombi were detected in 13 (87%) of 15 patients with severe/critical COVID-19 versus zero of six patients with mild/moderate COVID-19 (P 0.001) and none of the nine patients with pre-COVID-19 ARDS/AKI (P 0.001). Cells lining the microvasculature staining for spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the etiologic agent of COVID-19, also expressed tissue factor. C5b-9 deposition occurred in 13 (87%) of 15 patients with severe/critical COVID-19 versus zero of six patients with mild/moderate COVID-19 (P 0.001) and none of the nine patients with pre-COVID-19 ARDS/AKI (P 0.001). MASP2 deposition was also restricted to severe/critical COVID-19 cases. MxA expression occurred in all six mild/moderate versus two (15%) of 13 severe/critical cases (P 0.001) of COVID-19. In contrast, SIN3A was restricted to severe/critical COVID-19 cases co-localizing with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein. SIN3A was also elevated in plasma of patients with severe/critical COVID-19 versus control subjects (P ≤ 0.02). In conclusion, the study identified premortem tissue correlates of COVID-19 clinical stage using skin. If validated in a longitudinal cohort, this approach could identify individuals at risk for disease progression and enable targeted interventions.

Supplementary Figure from Inhibition of Integrin αVβ3 Signaling Improves the Antineoplastic Effect of Bexarotene in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Supplementary Table from Inhibition of Integrin αVβ3 Signaling Improves the Antineoplastic Effect of Bexarotene in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Kohlmeier-Degos Disease is a unique thrombotic microvascular and arteriopathic vasculopathy that is highly selective in the organs it targets. It invariably involves the skin and can be a purely cutaneous process. It affects both the microvasculature and the arterial system ranging from a thrombogenic microangiopathy to a fibrointimal obliterative arteriopathy with an accompanying background of extravascular fibrosis. A potentially lethal complication of Kohlmeier-Degos disease is constrictive pericarditis and pleuritis. We present three male patients, ages 26 years, 46 years and 58 years of age with established cutaneous and gastrointestinal Kohlmeier-Degos disease who developed progressive pericarditis which in two necessitated a pericardiectomy. There are 6 other reported cases, 5 in men, with restrictive symptoms developing on average 6 years following the onset of skin disease and all with gastrointestinal involvement. Half of the patients died within one year following the diagnosis of cardiopulmonary restrictive disease. The restrictive symptoms developed within 12 months, 2 years and 11 years following the initial skin presentation. In one patient this complication developed despite receiving eculizumab, indicative that this extravascular fibrosing reaction was not complement mediated as opposed to the thrombotic microvascular component of the disease which is C5b-9 mediated. Two of the three patients had evidence of right ventricular dysfunction. Two of our patients died within 1 year of developing constrictive pericarditis due to progressive cardiopulmonary failure. A profibrogenic process resembling scleroderma was seen given the degree of smooth muscle actin staining along with a mirror image reduction in CD34 expression within the fibrotic pleura and pericardium. There was significant upregulation in type I interferon signaling in cases tested as revealed by the degree of staining for MXA, the surrogate type I interferon marker. We propose that excessive type I interferon signaling results in the influx of monocyte derived dendritic cells with subsequent transdifferentiation into potent collagen producing myofibroblasts. We believe that targeting and suppressing type I interferon signaling should be a cornerstone of early therapy in patients with Kohlmeier- Degos disease to prevent pleural and pericardial fibrosis.

Fil: Cayrol, María Florencia. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Laboratorio de Neuroinmunomodulación y Oncología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Cayrol, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Revuelta, Maria V. Weill Cornell Medicine. Hematology and Oncology Division. Department of Medicine; Estados Unidos Fil: Debernardi, Maria Mercedes. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Laboratorio de Neuroinmunomodulación y Oncología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Debernardi, Maria Mercedes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Paulazo, Maria Alejandra. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Laboratorio de Neuroinmunomodulación y Oncología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Paulazo, Maria Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Phillip, Jude M. Johns Hopkins University. Institute for Nanobiotechnology. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Oncology. Departments of Biomedical Engineering; Estados Unidos Fil: Zamponi, Nahuel. Weill Cornell Medicine. Hematology and Oncology Division. Department of Medicine; Estados Unidos Fil: Sterle, Helena Andrea. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Laboratorio de Neuroinmunomodulación y Oncología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Sterle, Helena Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Díaz Flaqué, María Celeste. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Laboratorio de Neuroinmunomodulación y Oncología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Díaz Flaqué, María Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Magro, Cynthia. Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Estados Unidos Fil: Marullo, Rossella. Weill Cornell Medicine. Hematology and Oncology Division. Department of Medicine; Estados Unidos Fil: Mulvey, Erin. Weill Cornell Medicine. Hematology and Oncology Division. Department of Medicine; Estados Unidos Fil: Ruan, Jia. Weill Cornell Medicine. Hematology and Oncology Division. Department of Medicine; Estados Unidos Fil: Cremaschi, Graciela A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Cremaschi, Graciela A. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Laboratorio de Neuroinmunomodulación y Oncología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Cerchietti, Leandro. Weill Cornell Medicine. Hematology and Oncology Division. Department of Medicine; Estados Unidos Abstract: Bexarotene is a specific retinoid X receptor agonist that has been used for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Because bexarotene causes hypothyroidism, it requires the administration of levothyroxine. However, levothyroxine, in addition to its ubiquitous nuclear receptors, can activate the aVb3 integrin that is overexpressed in CTCL, potentially interfering the antineoplastic effect of bexarotene. We thus investigated the biological effect of levothyroxine in relation to bexarotene treatment. Although in isolated CTCL cells levothyroxine decreased, in an aVb3-dependent manner, the antineoplastic effect of bexarotene, levothyroxine supplementation in preclinical models was necessary to avoid suppression of lymphoma immunity. Accordingly, selective genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of integrin aVb3 improved the antineoplastic effect of bexarotene plus levothyroxine replacement while maintaining lymphoma immunity. Our results provide a mechanistic rationale for clinical testing of integrin aVb3 inhibitors as part of CTCL regimens based on bexarotene administration.