Department of Endodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA, 94103, USA.
Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Campus S. Venuta, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy.
Genes Immun. 2020 Nov;21(5):360-363. doi: 10.1038/s41435-020-00112-6. Epub 2020 Oct 3.
Pulpitis, inflammation of the dental pulp, is a disease that often necessitates emergency dental care. While pulpitis is considered to be a microbial disease primarily caused by bacteria, viruses have also been implicated in its pathogenesis. Here, we determined the expression of the SARS-CoV2 receptor, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and its associated cellular serine protease TPMRSS2 in the dental pulp under normal and inflamed conditions. Next, we explored the relationship between the SARS-CoV-2/human interactome and genes expressed in pulpitis. Using existing datasets we show that both ACE2 and TPMRSS2 are expressed in the dental pulp and, that their expression does not change under conditions of inflammation. Furthermore, Master Regulator Analysis of the SARS-CoV2/human interactome identified 75 relevant genes whose expression values are either up-regulated or down-regulated in both the human interactome and pulpitis. Our results suggest that the dental pulp is vulnerable to SARS-CoV2 infection and that SARS-CoV-2 infection of the dental pulp may contribute to worse outcomes of pulpitis.
牙髓炎，即牙髓的炎症，是一种常需要紧急牙科护理的疾病。虽然牙髓炎被认为是一种主要由细菌引起的微生物疾病，但病毒也与它的发病机制有关。在这里，我们确定了在正常和炎症条件下牙髓中 SARS-CoV2 受体血管紧张素转换酶 2（ACE2）及其相关细胞丝氨酸蛋白酶 TPMRSS2 的表达。接下来，我们探讨了 SARS-CoV-2/人类相互作用组与牙髓炎中表达的基因之间的关系。使用现有的数据集，我们表明 ACE2 和 TPMRSS2 均在牙髓中表达，并且在炎症条件下其表达不变。此外，SARS-CoV2/人类相互作用组的主调控因子分析确定了 75 个相关基因，它们在人类相互作用组和牙髓炎中的表达值均上调或下调。我们的结果表明，牙髓易感染 SARS-CoV2，而 SARS-CoV-2 对牙髓的感染可能导致牙髓炎的预后更差。
