Studies on the Differential Expression of Cytokines, Transcriptome and miRNA in the Context of COVID-19 Infection in Egyptian Community

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, coronaviruses cause respiratory tract infections that can be mild, such as some cases of the common cold, and others that can be lethal, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), (middle east respiratory syndrome) MERS, and COVID-19. They contain a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome. The genome size ranges from approximately 27 to 34 kilobases. It has a 5' methylated cap "5'leader, UTR", replicas/transcriptase enzyme, spike (S) protein, envelope (E) protein, membrane (M) protein, nucleocapsid (N) protein, 3'untranslated region (3'UTR), and a poly (A) tail, respectively. The S protein has a major role in eliciting the protective immunity during infection with SARS-corona virus (SARS-CoV) by inducing neutralizing-antibodies and T-cell responses. It is also the most mutated part of the coronavirus genome. The aim of this effort is to study host-pathogen interaction in Egyptian patients infected with COVID-19. The investigators will perform genome-wide miRNA and transcriptome screens in the infected patients along with healthy ones for comparison. All types of cytokines play pivotal roles in immunity, including the responses to different viral infections. Therefore, The investigators will study the cytokines profile in response to that infection. By comparing miRNA and transcriptome screens along with cytokines profiles, an important molecule might be identified, which could play role in the inhibition of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, this information will help us gaining awareness of the immune process and knowing about the genes involved in the immune response against COVID-19 with an emphasis on the expression of cytokines.