Oleaoyl-ACP-hydrolase expression correlates with COVID-19 disease severity

Respiratory infections are characterized by varied disease severities and corresponding morbidity rates, and early identification of patients at risk for severe disease is integral to improving patient outcomes. We therefore set out to identify biomarkers of severe respiratory disease by studying cohorts with patients experiencing life-threatening respiratory symptoms due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our analyses identified OLAH (oleoyl-ACP hydrolase), a typically rarely expressed enzyme involved in fatty acid biosynthesis found at low levels in healthy individuals, as a biomarker of life-threatening disease. In patients who were hospitalized with MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children), which is temporally related to prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, OLAH was even further elevated.