"1. Introduction
... In this study, the effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine were analyzed on erythroid differentiation and expression of globin genes in K562 cells cultured in the absence or in the presence of the HbF inducer mithramycin (MTH). Accumulation of globin mRNA was studied by RT-qPCR and globin and hemoglobin production by Western blotting and by benzidine staining of the treated K562 cells. Mithramycin was selected for most of the experiments here reported, considering the fact that this molecule is one of the most potent erythroid inducers of K562 cells...
3. Discussion
The impact of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein on cellular functions is of key interest, as the two mRNA vaccines BNT162b2 from Pfizer-BioNTech and mRNA-1273 from Moderna, generate high levels of this protein. Therefore, searching for circulating Spike in plasma of COVID-19 patient might help in understanding unexpected adverse effects following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination...
... The major conclusion of our study is that the BNT162b2 vaccine efficiently transfers the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein mRNA to K562 cells, causing, as expected, production of the S-protein. This was found to be associated with suppression of erythroid differentiation and, more importantly, with sharp inhibition of endogenous and mithramycin induced expression of embryo-fetal globin genes. This was confirmed using different, but convergent, assays (benzidine-staining, RT-qPCR, Western blotting).
In our opinion, the results of this study are of interest when considered together with recently published reports demonstrating (a) an effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on anemia and (b) that the S-protein has an impact on biological functions of hematopoietic cells. Concerning point (a) several studies demonstrated that anemia is associated with severe illness in COVID-19. Concerning point (b), Estep et al. found that SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination dramatically impair the functionalities and survivability of hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs) in the umbilical cord blood. Collectively these studies suggest that SARS-CoV-2 S-protein, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and SARS-CoV-2 infection might have dramatic effects on the hematopoietic compartment. In this respect, the possibility of worsening the COVID-19 symptoms in vaccinated people who get infected thereafter should be considered."
© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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