AI Article Synopsis
- * Researchers analyzed human olfactory tissue and found high levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which are important for the virus to enter cells, indicating that the olfactory neuroepithelium could be vulnerable to infection.
- * Specific sustentacular cells, which support olfactory sensory neurons, were found to have high ACE2 expression, suggesting these cells might serve as an entry point for SARS-CoV-2 into the nervous system connected to the brain.
Article Abstract
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 and . ACE2 protein was highly expressed in a subset of sustentacular cells in human and mouse olfactory tissues. Finally, we found 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.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7685946 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101839 | DOI Listing |
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