Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Host Cell Entry Factors in Immune System Components of Healthy Individuals and Its Relevance for COVID-19 Immunopathology.

Intense immunological dysregulation including immune cell lesions has been characteristically observed in severe cases of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), for which molecular mechanisms are not properly understood. A study of physiological expressions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) host cell entry-related factors in immune system components may help explain molecular mechanisms involved in COVID-19 immunopathology. We analyzed transcriptomic and proteomic expression metadata for SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry receptor and entry associated proteases (, , and ) across immune system components including the blood lineage cells. was not detected in any of the studied immune cell components; however, varying transcriptomic and proteomic expressions were observed for , , and . Nondetectable expressions of SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry receptor in immune system components or blood lineage cells indicate it does not mediate immune cell lesions in COVID-19. Alternative mechanisms need to be explored for COVID-19 immunopathogenesis.