Single-cell RNA expression profiling of ACE2, the receptor of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

A novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) was identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December of 2019. This new coronavirus has resulted in thousands of cases of lethal disease in China, with additional patients being identified in a rapidly growing number internationally. 2019-nCov was reported to share the same receptor, Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), with SARS-Cov.Here based on the public database and the state-of-the-art single-cell RNA-

New insights on the antiviral effects of chloroquine against coronavirus: what to expect for COVID-19?

“…The worldwide ongoing trials, including those involving the care of patients in our institute [90], will verify whether the hopes raised by chloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 can be confirmed. expressed on pneumocytes [85,99]. Binding to ACE2 is expected to trigger conformational changes in the S glycoprotein allowing cleavage by the transmembrane protease TMPRSS2 of the S protein and the release of S fragments into the cellular supernatant that inhibit virus neutralisation by antibodies [100].…”

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a SARS-CoV-2 receptor: molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic target

“…One reason is that the vast surface area of the lung makes the lung highly susceptible to inhaled viruses, but there is also a biological factor. Using normal lung tissue from eight adult donors, Zhao et al [14] demonstrated that 83% of ACE2-expressing cells were alveolar epithelial type II cells (AECII), suggesting that these cells can serve as a reservoir for viral invasion. In addition, gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that the ACE2-expressing AECII have high levels of multiple viral process-related genes, including regulatory genes for viral processes, viral life cycle, viral assembly, and viral genome replication [14], suggesting that the ACE2-expressing AECII facilitate coronaviral replication in the lung.…”

Comparative genetic analysis of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2) receptor ACE2 in different populations

“…Recent reports of the ACE2 expression analysis in lung tissues from Asian and Caucasian populations are still controversial. The single-cell RNA-seq analysis reported that the Asian donor had much higher ACE2 expression cell ratio than white and African-American donors 6 . In contrast, the ACE2 expression analysis using the RNA-seq and microarray datasets from control lung tissues indicated there were no significant differences between Asian and Caucasian, or male and female 11 .…”

“…In contrast, the ACE2 expression analysis using the RNA-seq and microarray datasets from control lung tissues indicated there were no significant differences between Asian and Caucasian, or male and female 11 . The ACE2expressing cells are a very small part of cells in lung tissues 6 . The sample size and the purity of ACE2-positive cells in the selected samples would influence the conclusions.…”