The impact of Spike protein on macrophage inflammation

Purpose: To elucidate how SARS-CoV-2 spike protein affects macrophage inflammatory responses Methods: Peritoneal macrophages were isolated from Myeloid-specific IKKβ knockout mice (IKKβΔMye) and control littermates (IKKβ F/F). Then the macrophages were treated with lentivirus expressing Spike protein for 24 hours Results: Deficiency of IKKβ nearly abolished spike protein-associated geneset scores and DEGs-associated key inflammatory pathways. Conclusions: These results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein induces strong inflammatory responses in macrophages, potentially through activation of canonical IKKβ/NF-κB signaling Macrophagic mRNA profiles of control and IKKβ-deficient macrophages after 24-hour treatment of Lentivirus expressing Spike protein