RV infections in asthmatics increase ACE2 expression and stimulate cytokine pathways implicated in COVID19

We present evidence that (1) viral respiratory infections are potential mechanisms of ACE2 overexpression in patients with asthma and (2) ACE activation regulates multiple cytokine anti-viral responses that could explain a mechanism for cytokine surge and associated tissue damage. These results suggest that the recent finding of severe COVID-19 in asthma patients with recent exacerbations may be attributable to synergistic biomolecular interactions with viral co-infections. In a paired design experiments across discovery and validation cohorts of in asthmatic patients the biological replicates treated with RVA and RVC were compared to non-treated ones.