SARS-CoV-2 in patients with cancer: possible role of mimicry of human molecules by viral proteins and the resulting anti-cancer immunity |
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| Authors: | Stefano Burgio Everly Conway de Macario Alberto JL Macario Francesco Cappello |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), Institute of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy ;2.Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland at Baltimore-Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), Baltimore, MD 21202 USA ;3.Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), 90139 Palermo, Italy |
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| Abstract: | A few reports suggest that molecular mimicry can have a role in determining the more severe and deadly forms of COVID-19, inducing endothelial damage, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and multiorgan failure. Heat shock proteins/molecular chaperones can be involved in these molecular mimicry phenomena. However, tumor cells can display on their surface heat shock proteins/molecular chaperones that are mimicked by SARS-CoV-2 molecules (including the Spike protein), similarly to what happens in other bacterial or viral infections. Since molecular mimicry between SARS-CoV-2 and tumoral proteins can elicit an immune reaction in which antibodies or cytotoxic cells produced against the virus cross-react with the tumor cells, we want to prompt clinical studies to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on prognosis and follow up of various forms of tumors. These topics, including a brief historical overview, are discussed in this paper. |
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| Keywords: | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Cancer Molecular mimicry Shared epitopes Immunological cross-reaction |
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