Single-cell RNA sequencing data analysis reveals differential expressions of ion channels in immunity response to pulmonary COVID-19 infection.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is characterized by immune dysregulation that contributes to disease severity and systemic inflammation. Ion channels are critical regulators of immune cell activation, signaling, and effector functions; however, their regulation across heterogeneous immune populations during COVID-19 remains poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of COVID-19 patients and healthy controls to systematically profile the expression of immune-related ion channels at single-cell resolution. Our analysis revealed notably disease-associated shifts in the expression of key ion channels involved in potassium, calcium, proton, and anion channels across immune cell populations in COVID-19 patients. The findings show that COVID-19 infection is associated with broad remodeling of ion channel-mediated immune function in circulating immune cells. The study provides a single-cell atlas of immune ion channel dysregulation in COVID-19 and highlights ion channels as potential contributors to immune dysfunction and therapeutic targets in COVID-19 infection.