Department of Molecular Endocrinology, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Indian Council of Medical Research, J.M. Street, Parel, Mumbai, 400012, India.
Genetic Research Centre, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Indian Council of Medical Research, J.M. Street, Parel, Mumbai, 400012, India.
Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2022 Aug;306(2):547-555. doi: 10.1007/s00404-022-06567-4. Epub 2022 Apr 27.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is global pandemic with more than 5 million deaths so far. Female reproductive tract organs express coronavirus-associated receptors and factors (SCARFs), suggesting they may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, the susceptibility of ovary/follicle/oocyte to the same is still elusive. Co-morbidities like obesity, type-2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, etc. increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These features are common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), warranting further scope to study SCARFs expression in ovary of these women.
SCARFs expression in ovary and ovarian tissues of women with PCOS and healthy women was explored by analyzing publically available microarray datasets. Transcript expressions of SCARFs were investigated in mural and cumulus granulosa cells (MGCs and CGCs) from control and PCOS women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Microarray data revealed that ovary expresses all genes necessary for SARS-CoV-2 infection. PCOS women mostly showed down-regulated/unchanged levels of SCARFs. MGCs and CGCs from PCOS women showed lower expression of receptors ACE2, BSG and DPP4 and protease CTSB than in controls. MGCs showed lower expression of protease CTSL in PCOS than in controls. Expression of TMPRSS2 was not detected in both cell types.
Human ovarian follicle may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Lower expression of SCARFs in PCOS indicates that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection to the ovary may be lesser in these women than controls. This knowledge may help in safe practices at IVF settings in the current pandemic.
严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）感染是一种全球性大流行疾病，迄今为止已导致超过 500 万人死亡。女性生殖系统器官表达冠状病毒相关受体和因子（SCARFs），表明它们可能容易受到 SARS-CoV-2 感染；然而，卵巢/卵泡/卵母细胞对其的易感性仍不清楚。肥胖症、2 型糖尿病、心血管疾病等合并症会增加 SARS-CoV-2 感染的风险。这些特征在多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）女性中很常见，因此有必要进一步研究这些女性卵巢中 SCARFs 的表达。
通过分析公共微阵列数据集，探讨了 PCOS 女性和健康女性卵巢中 SCARFs 的表达。研究了接受体外受精（IVF）的对照和 PCOS 女性的壁层和颗粒细胞（MGC 和 CGC）中 SCARFs 的转录表达。
微阵列数据分析表明，卵巢表达了 SARS-CoV-2 感染所需的所有基因。PCOS 女性的 SCARFs 大多表现为下调/不变水平。与对照组相比，PCOS 女性的 MGC 和 CGC 中 ACE2、BSG 和 DPP4 受体和蛋白酶 CTSB 的表达较低。与对照组相比，PCOS 女性的 MGC 中蛋白酶 CTSL 的表达较低。两种细胞类型均未检测到 TMPRSS2 的表达。
人类卵巢卵泡可能容易受到 SARS-CoV-2 感染。PCOS 中 SCARFs 的表达较低表明，与对照组相比，SARS-CoV-2 感染卵巢的风险可能较小。在当前大流行期间，这一知识可能有助于在 IVF 环境中采取安全措施。
