Transcriptomic profiling of mRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs and alternative splicing patterns of patients affected by COVID-19

Recently identified severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative virus of COVID-19 disease. COVID-19 spreads very rapidly due to airborne transmission. Although the end of COVID-19 as a public health emergency was declared on May 2023 by the head of the UN World Health Organization, still new cases of the infection are reported and the risk remains of new variants emerging that may cause new surges in cases and deaths. The present study aimed to perform the high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNAseq) and bioinformatic analysis of peripheral blood samples collected from 10 healthy donors (n=10) and 6 COVID-19 patients (n=6; inclusion criteria comprised a PCR-positive SARS-CoV-2 clinical test and hospitalization for COVID-19).