Local Inflammation But Not Kidney Cell Infection Associated with High APOL1 Expression in COVID-Associated Nephropathy

Abstract

Key Points In coronavirus disease-19 biopsies, detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 was rare with no evidence of viral replication, whereas autopsy tissue failed quality control.In patients with FSGS, apolipoprotein L1 expression differed by degree of immune cell infiltrates, with some podocytes exhibiting up to 18-fold higher expression.In COVAN, the predicted high induction of apolipoprotein L1 expression occurs in a pattern consistent with the stochastic nature of FSGS pathology.