?:abstract
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To investigate the relationship between BCG vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 by bioinformatic approach. Two datasets for the SARS-CoV-2 infection group and BCG-vaccinated group were downloaded. Differentially Expressed Genes were identified. Gene ontology and pathways were functionally enriched, and networking was constructed in NetworkAnalyst. Lastly, the correlation between post-BCG vaccination and COVID-19 transcriptome signatures was established. A total of 161 DEGs (113 upregulated DEGs and 48 downregulated genes) were identified in the SARS-CoV-2 group. In the pathway enrichment analysis, a cross-reference of upregulated KEGG pathways in SARS -CoV-2 with downregulated counterparts in the BCG-vaccinated group, resulted in the intersection of 45 common pathways, accounting for 86.5% of SARS-CoV-2 upregulated pathways. Of these intersecting pathways, a vast majority were immune and inflammatory pathways with top significance in IL-17, TNF, NOD-like receptors, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Given the inverse relationship of the specific DEG pathways highlighted in our results, BCG-vaccine may incur a protective role against COVID-19 by mounting a non-specific immunological response and further investigation of this relationship is warranted. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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