Defining post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) by an epigenetic biosignature in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Abstract

Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS) has been defined as symptoms persisting after clearance of a COVID-19 infection. We have previously demonstrated that alterations in DNA methylation (DNAm) status persists in individuals who recovered from a COVID-19 infection, but it is currently unknown if PACS is associated with epigenetic changes. We compared DNAm patterns in patients with PACS with those in controls and in healthy COVID-19 convalescents and found a unique DNAm signature in PACS patients. This signature unravelled modified pathways that regulate angiotensin II and muscarinic receptor signalling and protein-protein interaction networks that have bearings on vesicle formation and mitochondrial function.