KLRB1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 patients
Abstract The resurgence of COVID-19 and the rise in severe outcomes emphasize the need for reliable prognostic markers to guide patient care and optimize ICU and hospital resources. This study investigates the potential of nasopharyngeal swabs to identify biomarkers that predict ICU admission or dea...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86846-7 |
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| author | Marilina García-Aranda María Ángeles Onieva Desirée Martín-García Raúl Quirós Inmaculada López María Padilla-Ruiz Teresa Téllez Beatriz Martínez-Gálvez María Luisa Hortas Alberto García-Galindo José González-Gomariz Rubén Armañanzas Francisco Rivas-Ruiz Alfonso Serrano Isabel Barragán-Mallofret Maximino Redondo |
| author_facet | Marilina García-Aranda María Ángeles Onieva Desirée Martín-García Raúl Quirós Inmaculada López María Padilla-Ruiz Teresa Téllez Beatriz Martínez-Gálvez María Luisa Hortas Alberto García-Galindo José González-Gomariz Rubén Armañanzas Francisco Rivas-Ruiz Alfonso Serrano Isabel Barragán-Mallofret Maximino Redondo |
| author_sort | Marilina García-Aranda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The resurgence of COVID-19 and the rise in severe outcomes emphasize the need for reliable prognostic markers to guide patient care and optimize ICU and hospital resources. This study investigates the potential of nasopharyngeal swabs to identify biomarkers that predict ICU admission or death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We analyzed nasopharyngeal exudates from 95 hospitalized patients in 2020 using high-plex RNA quantification on the NanoString® nCounter platform. Comparative analysis identified four genes, with KLRB1 (Killer cell lectin like receptor B1) (Odds Ratio OR 0.5, 95% CI: 0.27–0.96), along with age (OR 3.3, 95% CI: 1.25–8.93) emerging as independent prognostic markers in multivariate analysis. These findings were validated using qRT-PCR in an independent cohort of 168 patients hospitalized in 2022. While univariate analysis identified a significant association between KLRB1 expression and vaccination status (p < 0.05), only low KLRB1 expression (OR 1.135, 95% CI: 1.0-1.280), and age (OR 1.033, 95% CI: 1.006–1.061) were confirmed as independent risk factors for ICU admission or death, regardless of other studied variables such as comorbidities, vaccination status, or smoking habits. Our findings suggest that KLRB1 expression could improve prognostic tools by identifying patients at higher risk upon admission. Incorporating KLRB1 into multiplex diagnostic kits alongside SARS-CoV-2 detection could streamline prognostic assessment, providing a more comprehensive and efficient approach to patient management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0bfca561428e472a8f94ad2a78ba7cd8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-0bfca561428e472a8f94ad2a78ba7cd82025-01-26T12:26:49ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-86846-7KLRB1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 patientsMarilina García-Aranda0María Ángeles Onieva1Desirée Martín-García2Raúl Quirós3Inmaculada López4María Padilla-Ruiz5Teresa Téllez6Beatriz Martínez-Gálvez7María Luisa Hortas8Alberto García-Galindo9José González-Gomariz10Rubén Armañanzas11Francisco Rivas-Ruiz12Alfonso Serrano13Isabel Barragán-Mallofret14Maximino Redondo15Research and Innovation Unit, Costa del Sol University HospitalPreventive Medicine Unit, Costa del Sol University HospitalResearch and Innovation Unit, Costa del Sol University HospitalInternal Medicine Unit, Costa del Sol University HospitalMicrobiology Unit, General Clinical Analysis Service, Costa del Sol University HospitalResearch and Innovation Unit, Costa del Sol University HospitalResearch and Innovation Unit, Costa del Sol University HospitalMalaga Biomedical Research Institute (IBIMA-Plataforma BIONAND)Clinical Analysis Service, Costa del Sol University HospitalInstitute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DATAI), University of NavarraInstitute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DATAI), University of NavarraInstitute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DATAI), University of NavarraResearch and Innovation Unit, Costa del Sol University HospitalImmunology & Clinical Analysis Service, Virgen de la Victoria University HospitalMedical Oncology Unit Virgen de la Victoria, Malaga Biomedical Research Institute (IBIMA-Plataforma BIONAND)Research and Innovation Unit, Costa del Sol University HospitalAbstract The resurgence of COVID-19 and the rise in severe outcomes emphasize the need for reliable prognostic markers to guide patient care and optimize ICU and hospital resources. This study investigates the potential of nasopharyngeal swabs to identify biomarkers that predict ICU admission or death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We analyzed nasopharyngeal exudates from 95 hospitalized patients in 2020 using high-plex RNA quantification on the NanoString® nCounter platform. Comparative analysis identified four genes, with KLRB1 (Killer cell lectin like receptor B1) (Odds Ratio OR 0.5, 95% CI: 0.27–0.96), along with age (OR 3.3, 95% CI: 1.25–8.93) emerging as independent prognostic markers in multivariate analysis. These findings were validated using qRT-PCR in an independent cohort of 168 patients hospitalized in 2022. While univariate analysis identified a significant association between KLRB1 expression and vaccination status (p < 0.05), only low KLRB1 expression (OR 1.135, 95% CI: 1.0-1.280), and age (OR 1.033, 95% CI: 1.006–1.061) were confirmed as independent risk factors for ICU admission or death, regardless of other studied variables such as comorbidities, vaccination status, or smoking habits. Our findings suggest that KLRB1 expression could improve prognostic tools by identifying patients at higher risk upon admission. Incorporating KLRB1 into multiplex diagnostic kits alongside SARS-CoV-2 detection could streamline prognostic assessment, providing a more comprehensive and efficient approach to patient management.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86846-7COVID-19PrognosisBiomarkerKLRB1Nasopharyngeal mucosa |
| spellingShingle | Marilina García-Aranda María Ángeles Onieva Desirée Martín-García Raúl Quirós Inmaculada López María Padilla-Ruiz Teresa Téllez Beatriz Martínez-Gálvez María Luisa Hortas Alberto García-Galindo José González-Gomariz Rubén Armañanzas Francisco Rivas-Ruiz Alfonso Serrano Isabel Barragán-Mallofret Maximino Redondo KLRB1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 patients Scientific Reports COVID-19 Prognosis Biomarker KLRB1 Nasopharyngeal mucosa |
| title | KLRB1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 patients |
| title_full | KLRB1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 patients |
| title_fullStr | KLRB1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | KLRB1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 patients |
| title_short | KLRB1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 patients |
| title_sort | klrb1 expression in nasopharyngeal mucosa as a prognostic biomarker in covid 19 patients |
| topic | COVID-19 Prognosis Biomarker KLRB1 Nasopharyngeal mucosa |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86846-7 |
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