SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication kinetics in different human cell types: The role of autophagy, cellular metabolism and ACE2 expression.

Aims: This study evaluated SARS-CoV-2 replication in human cell lines derived from various tissues and investigated molecular mechanisms related to viral infection susceptibility and replication.

Main Methods: SARS-CoV-2 replication in BEAS-2B and A549 (respiratory tract), HEK-293 T (kidney), HuH7 (liver), SH-SY5Y (brain), MCF7 (breast), Huvec (endothelial) and Caco-2 (intestine) was evaluated by RT-qPCR. Concomitantly, expression levels of ACE2 (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) and TMPRSS2 were assessed through RT-qPCR and western blot.