Fodoulian Leon, Tuberosa Joël, Rossier Daniel, Boillat Madlaina, Kan Chenda, Pauli Véronique, Egervari Kristof, Lobrinus Johannes A, Landis Basile N, Carleton Alan, Rodriguez Ivan
Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel-Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
iScience. 2020 Dec 18;23(12):101839. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101839. Epub 2020 Nov 25.
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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