SARS-CoV-2 receptors and entry genes are expressed in the human olfactory neuroepithelium and brain

Autor: Basile Nicolas Landis, Joël Tuberosa, Ivan Rodriguez, Kristof Egervari, Alan Carleton, Daniel Rossier, Veronique Pauli, Johannes Alexander Lobrinus, Leon Fodoulian, Chenda Kan, Madlaina Boillat
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: iScience
iScience, Vol 23, Iss 12, Pp 101839-(2020)
iScience, Vol. 23, No 12 (2020) P. 101839
ISSN: 2589-0042
Popis: Reports indicate an association between COVID-19 and anosmia, as well as the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virions in the olfactory bulb. To test whether the olfactory neuroepithelium may represent a target of the virus, we generated RNA-seq libraries from human olfactory neuroepithelia, in which we found substantial expression of the genes coding for the virus receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), and for the virus internalization enhancer TMPRSS2. We analyzed a human olfactory single-cell RNA-seq dataset and determined that sustentacular cells, which maintain the integrity of olfactory sensory neurons, express ACE2 and TMPRSS2. ACE2 protein was highly expressed in a subset of sustentacular cells in human and mouse olfactory tissues. Finally, we found ACE2 transcripts in specific brain cell types, both in mice and humans. Sustentacular cells thus represent a potential entry door for SARS-CoV-2 in a neuronal sensory system that is in direct connection with the brain.
Graphical Abstract
Highlights • SARS-CoV-2 receptors ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are expressed in olfactory neuroepithelia • ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are coexpressed in supporting sustentacular cells • A subset of neuronal and non-neuronal cells in the brain transcribe ACE2
Databáze: OpenAIRE