The IL-33/ST2 signaling axis drives pathogenesis in acute SARS-CoV-2 infection

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), remains a significant threat to global public health. Immunopathological damage plays a role in driving pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and multiorgan failure in severe COVID-19. Therefore, dissecting the pulmonary immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is critical to understand disease pathogenesis and identify immune pathways targetable by therapeutic intervention. Considering that the type 2 cytokine IL-13 enhances COVID-19 disease severity, therapeutic targeting of upstream signals that drive type 2 immunity may confer further protection. In this study, we investigate the role of the IL-33/ST2 signaling axis, a potent inducer of type 2 immunity in the lung, in a mouse model of COVID-19. Upon infection with mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 MA10, ST2-/-mice had significantly improved weight loss and survival (69.2% vs 13.3% survival; P = 0.0005), as compared to wild-type mice. In a complementary pharmacologic approach, IL-33/ST2 signaling was inhibited using HpBARI_Hom2, a helminth derived protein that binds to mouse ST2 and blocks IL-33 signaling. In SARS-CoV-2 MA10 infection, HpBARI_Hom2-treated mice had significantly improved weight loss and survival (60% vs 10% survival; P = 0.0035), as compared to inert control-treated mice. These data demonstrate that loss of IL-33/ST2 signaling confers protection during acute SARS-CoV-2 MA10 infection, implicating the IL-33/ST2 signaling axis as an enhancer of COVID-19 disease severity. The protection conferred by pharmacologic blockade of IL-33/ST2 signaling was independent of viral control, as HpBARI_Hom2-treated mice had no reduction in viral titers. This finding suggests an immunopathogenic role for IL-33/ST2 signaling. One potential mechanism through which IL-33/ST2 signaling may drive severe disease is through enhancement of type 2 immune pathways including IL-5 production, as pulmonary IL-5 concentrations were found to depend on IL-33/ST2 signaling in acute SARS-CoV-2 MA10 infection.