Disrupted chromatin architecture in olfactory sensory neurons: A missing link from COVID-19 infection to anosmia

A bstract We tackle here genomic mechanisms of a rapid onset and recovery from anosmia - a useful diagnostic indicator for early-stage COVID-19 infection. On the basis of earlier observed specifics of olfactory receptors (ORs) regulation in the mice chromatin structures, we hypothesized that the disruption of OR function can be caused by chromatin reorganization taking place upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. We reconstructed the chromatin ensembles of ORs obtained from COVID-19 patients and control samples using our original computational framework for the whole-genome chromatin ensemble 3D reconstruction. We have also developed here a new procedure for the analysis of fine structural hierarchy in local, megabase scale, parts of chromosomes containing the OR genes and corresponding epigenetic factors. We observed structural modifications in COVID-19 patients on different levels of chromatin organization, from alteration of the whole genome structure and chromosomal intermingling to reorganization of contacts between the chromatin loops at the level of topologically associating domains. While complementary data on known regulatory elements point to pathology-associated changes within the overall picture of chromatin alterations, further investigation using additional epigenetic factors mapped on 3D reconstructions with improved resolution will be required for better understanding of anosmia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection.