PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Park, Hee Ho AU - Kim, Hong Nam AU - Kim, Hyelim AU - Yoo, Youngbum AU - Shin, Hyosoo AU - Choi, Eun Young AU - Bae, Jong-Sup AU - Lee, Wonhwa TI - Acetylated K676 TGFBIp as a severity diagnostic blood biomarker for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia AID - 10.1126/sciadv.abc1564 DP - 2020 Jul 01 TA - Science Advances PG - eabc1564 VI - 6 IP - 31 4099 - http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/31/eabc1564.short 4100 - http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/31/eabc1564.full SO - Sci Adv2020 Jul 01; 6 AB - The outbreak of the highly contagious and deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has posed a serious threat to public health across the globe, calling for the development of effective diagnostic markers and therapeutics. Here, we report a highly reliable severity diagnostic biomarker, acetylated 676th lysine transforming growth factor–beta–induced protein (TGFBIp K676Ac). TGFBIp K676Ac was consistently elevated in the blood of patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia (n = 113), especially in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) compared to non-ICU patients. Patients’ blood samples showed increased cytokines and lymphopenia, which are exemplary indicators of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Treatment with TGFBIp neutralizing antibodies suppressed the cytokine storm. The increased level of TGFBIp K676Ac in ICU patients suggests the promise of this protein as a reliable severity diagnostic biomarker for severe SARS-CoV-2 disease.