SARS-CoV-2 suppresses TLR4-induced immunity by dendritic cells via C-type lectin receptor DC-SIGN

by Lieve E. H. van der Donk, Marta Bermejo-Jambrina, John L. van Hamme, Mette M. W. Volkers, Ad C. van Nuenen, Neeltje A. Kootstra, Teunis B. H. Geijtenbeek

SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19, an infectious disease with symptoms ranging from a mild cold to severe pneumonia, inflammation, and even death. Although strong inflammatory responses are a major factor in causing morbidity and mortality, superinfections with bacteria during severe COVID-19 often cause pneumonia, bacteremia and sepsis. Aberrant immune responses might underlie increased sensitivity to bacteria during COVID-19 but the mechanisms remain unclear. Here we investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 directly suppresses immune responses to bacteria. We studied the functionality of human dendritic cells (DCs) towards a variety of bacterial triggers after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein and SARS-CoV-2 primary isolate (hCoV-19/Italy). Notably, pre-exposure of DCs to either SARS-CoV-2 S protein or a SARS-CoV-2 isolate led to reduced type I interferon (IFN) and cytokine responses in response to Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS), whereas other TLR agonists were not affected. SARS-CoV-2 S protein interacted with the C-type lectin receptor DC-SIGN and, notably, blocking DC-SIGN with antibodies restored type I IFN and cytokine responses to LPS. Moreover, blocking the kinase Raf-1 by a small molecule inhibitor restored immune responses to LPS. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 modulates DC function upon TLR4 triggering via DC-SIGN-induced Raf-1 pathway. These data imply that SARS-CoV-2 actively suppresses DC function via DC-SIGN, which might account for the higher mortality rates observed in patients with COVID-19 and bacterial superinfections.