High expression of ACE2 receptor of 2019-nCoV on the epithelial cells of oral mucosa

Abstract

It has been reported that ACE2 is the main host cell receptor of 2019-nCoV and plays a crucial role in the entry of virus into the cell to cause the final infection. To investigate the potential route of 2019-nCov infection on the mucosa of oral cavity, bulk RNA-seq profiles from two public databases including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Functional Annotation of The Mammalian Genome Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (FANTOM5 CAGE) dataset were collected. RNA-seq profiling data of 13 organ types with para-carcinoma normal tissues from TCGA and 14 organ types with normal tissues from FANTOM5 CAGE were analyzed in order to explore and validate the expression of ACE2 on the mucosa of oral cavity. Further, single-cell transcriptomes from an independent data generated in-house were used to identify and confirm the ACE2-expressing cell composition and proportion in oral cavity. The results demonstrated that the ACE2 expressed on the mucosa of oral cavity. Interestingly, this receptor was highly enriched in epithelial cells of tongue. Preliminarily, those findings have explained the basic mechanism that the oral cavity is a potentially high risk for 2019-nCoV infectious susceptibility and provided a piece of evidence for the future prevention strategy in dental clinical practice as well as daily life.

Highly ACE2 Expression in Pancreas May Cause Pancreas Damage After SARS-CoV-2 Infection

“…In this study, we focused on the expression of ACE2 in pancreas and the damage to the pancreas in a proportion of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although many previous studies have been reported on the expression of ACE2 tissues and organs [15], including bulk RNA-seq and scRNA-seq data, this analysis in the pancreas is still lacking. Firstly, we found ACE2 was mostly expressed in the pancreas of normal people, and it was slightly higher in the pancreas than in the lungs, indicating that when SARS-CoV-2 appeared in the circulation, it might also combine with ACE2 in the pancreas to enter cells and cause pancreatic injury.…”

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): An overview of viral structure and host response

“…In supporting the process of entry of the virus into the host cell, SARS-CoV2 binds to the ACE2 receiver that is highly expressed in the lower respiratory tract such as type II alveolar cells (AT2) of the lungs, upper esophagus and stratified epithelial cells, and other cells such as absorptive enterocytes from the ileum and colon, cholangiocytes, myocardial cells, kidney proximal tubule cells, and bladder urothelial cells [14]. Therefore, patients who are infected with this virus not only experience respiratory problems such as pneumonia leading to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), but also experience disorders of heart, kidneys, and digestive tract.…”

Lymphopenia predicts disease severity of COVID-19: a descriptive and predictive study

“…Lymphocytes express the coronavirus receptor ACE2 and may be a direct target of viruses. 9 (2) The virus might directly destroy lymphatic organs. Acute lymphocyte decline might be related to lymphocytic dysfunction, and the direct damage of novel coronavirus virus to organs such as thymus and spleen cannot be ruled out.…”