DLD is a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19 infection in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients

Abstract

Since the discovery of copper induces cell death(cuprotosis) in 2022, it has been one of the biggest research hotspots. cuprotosis related genes (CRGs) has been demonstrated to be a potential therapeutic target for cancer, however, the molecular mechanism of CRGs in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected in DLBCL patients has not been reported yet. Therefore, our research objective is first to elucidate the mechanism and role of CRGs in COVID-19. Secondly, we conducted univariate and multivariate analysis and machine learning to screen for CRGs with common expression differences in COVID-19 and DLBCL. Finally, the functional role and immune mechanism of genes in DLBCL were confirmed through cell experiments and immune analysis. The research results show that CRGs play an important role in the occurrence and development of COVID-19. Univariate analysis and machine learning confirm that dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) is the common key gene of COVID-19 and DLBCL. Inhibiting the expression of DLD can significantly inhibit the cycle progression and promote cell apoptosis of DLBCL cells and can target positive regulation of Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1, also known as KDM1A) to inhibit the proliferation of DLBCL cells and promote cell apoptosis. The immune analysis results show that high-expression of DLD may reduce T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity by regulating immune infiltration of CD8 + T cells and positively regulating immune checkpoints LAG3 and CD276. Reducing the expression of DLD can effectively enhance T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity, thereby clearing cancer cells and preventing cancer growth. In conclusion, DLD may be a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19 infection in DLBCL patients. Our research provides a theoretical basis for improving the clinical treatment of COVID-19 infection in DLBCL.