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Book Part Perspectives on Molecular Mimicry Between Human, Sars-Cov and Plasmodium Species Through a Probabilistic and Evolutionary Insight(Elsevier, 2024) Adiguzel,Y.; Shoenfeld,Y.This chapter examines potential molecular mimicry between similar peptide sequences and shared 6mers of five selected proteins and the proteomes of both SARS-CoV-2 and five Plasmodium species that infect humans (P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. vivax, P. knowlesi, and P. ovale). Human proteins are plasminogen receptor (KT), neutrophil collagenase (neutrophil collagenase isoform 2), myeloperoxidase precursor, mitochondrial peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase isoform a precursor, and myeloblastin precursor. The chapter eventually focuses on a probabilistic and evolutionary insight into molecular mimicry. © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Book Part Citation - Scopus: 2Molecular Mimicry Study Between Peptides of SARS-CoV-2 and Neutrophil Extracellular Traps-Related Proteins(Elsevier, 2024) Adiguzel,Y.; Shoenfeld,Y.Background Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are observed in both COVID-19 pathology and autoimmune disorders, and molecular mimicry is a mechanism that can lead to an autoimmune response. Methods Similar sequences between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and 5 proteins (plasminogen receptor KT: PLRKT, myeloperoxidase: MPO, proteinase 3: PR-3, neutrophil elastase: NE, matrix metalloproteinase 9: MMP-9) that are present in NETs were searched. Human and SARS-CoV-2 sequence pairs were identified. Those among the identified sequence pairs, which are predicted as strong-binding peptides or epitopes of the same selected MHC class I and class II alleles, were predicted. Results In the case of MHC class I alleles, similar PLRKT and SARS-CoV-2 peptide sequences with high predicted-affinities to HLA-A*24:02, HLA-B*08:01, and HLA-B*15:01; similar MPO and SARS-CoV-2 peptide sequences with strong predicted-affinities to HLA-A*01:01, HLA-A*26:01, and HLA-B*15:01; and similar MMP-9 and SARS-CoV-2 peptide sequences with elevated predicted-affinities to HLA-B*39:01 were predicted. In the case of MHC class II alleles, similar PLRKT and SARS-CoV-2 peptide sequences with high predicted-affinities to HLA-DPA1*02:01/DPB1*01:01 were predicted. Conclusion This work is a proof-of-concept study, which revealed the potential involvement of molecular mimicry in NET pathology within susceptible individuals, in the case of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, leading to autoimmunity. © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Article Citation - WoS: 12Citation - Scopus: 12Exploring the hidden impact of the Covid-19 pandemic: The role of urbanization(Elsevier, 2022) Peren Arin, K.; Lacomba, Juan A.; Lagos, Francisco; Moro-Egido, Ana, I; Thum, MarcelWe examine the role of residential environments (urban/rural) in understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions in nationwide movement on several socio-economic attitudes. We conducted large-scale surveys in four European countries (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom) before and after nationwide lockdowns were implemented. We investigate how the pandemic affected: (i) economic (economic insecurity), (ii) political (trust in domestic and international institutions), and (iii) social attitudes (loneliness), by controlling for the degree of urbanization, obtained from the geocodes of the survey respondents. Our results show that taking the degree of urbanization into account is not only relevant but is also essential. Compared to urban areas, in rural areas lockdowns led to a greater increase of economic insecurity and to a greater decrease in trust in domestic institutions. We also show that these results are particularly valid for women and households with children.
