School of Mathematics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 2;18(1):284. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18010284.
COVID-19 patients always develop multiple organ dysfunction syndromes other than lungs, suggesting the novel virus SARS-CoV-2 also invades other organs. Therefore, studying the viral susceptibility of other organs is important for a deeper understanding of viral pathogenesis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) is the receptor protein of SARS-CoV-2, and TMPRSS2 promotes virus proliferation and transmission. We investigated the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression levels of cell types from 31 organs to evaluate the risk of viral infection using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. For the first time, we found that the gall bladder and fallopian tube are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Besides, the nose, heart, small intestine, large intestine, esophagus, brain, testis, and kidney are also identified to be high-risk organs with high expression levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Moreover, the susceptible organs are grouped into three risk levels based on the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression. As a result, the respiratory system, digestive system, and urinary system are at the top-risk level for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study provides evidence for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the human nervous system, digestive system, reproductive system, respiratory system, circulatory system, and urinary system using scRNA-seq data, which helps in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients.
COVID-19 患者除肺部外还会出现多器官功能障碍综合征，表明新型冠状病毒 SARS-CoV-2 还会侵袭其他器官。因此，研究其他器官的病毒易感性对于深入了解病毒发病机制很重要。血管紧张素转换酶 2（ACE2）是 SARS-CoV-2 的受体蛋白，而 TMPRSS2 促进病毒增殖和传播。我们利用单细胞 RNA 测序（scRNA-seq）数据，调查了 31 种器官的细胞类型中 ACE2 和 TMPRSS2 的表达水平，以评估病毒感染的风险。我们首次发现胆囊和输卵管容易感染 SARS-CoV-2。此外，鼻子、心脏、小肠、大肠、食管、大脑、睾丸和肾脏也被确定为 ACE2 和 TMPRSS2 高表达的高风险器官。此外，根据 ACE2 和 TMPRSS2 的表达，易感器官被分为三个风险等级。结果表明，呼吸系统、消化系统和泌尿系统是 SARS-CoV-2 感染的高危器官。本研究使用 scRNA-seq 数据为 SARS-CoV-2 在人体神经系统、消化系统、生殖系统、呼吸系统、循环系统和泌尿系统中的感染提供了证据，有助于患者的临床诊断和治疗。
