Inflammation

Cytokine storm

Bromodomain

Acetylation

Cytokine

Cardiac dysfunction

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Virus

Disease

Viral Myocarditis

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Biology

Gene

HMGB1

Myocarditis

Internal medicine

Heart failure

Immunology

Genetics

Medicine

Cell

COVID-19 causes cardiac injury, although mechanisms and effective therapeutics are lacking. In this study, Mills et al., show that cytokines elevated in COVID-19 patients drive cardiac dysfunction. These responses are mapped using phosphoproteomics and single nuclei RNA sequencing, enabling a targeted drug screen to identify therapeutics for rapid repurposing. BET inhibitors were identified as leading candidates to block cardiac dysfunction and decrease SARS-CoV-2 cardiac infection.

BET inhibition blocks inflammation-induced cardiac dysfunction and SARS-CoV-2 infection