SARS‐CoV‐2 receptor ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are primarily expressed in bronchial transient secretory cells
The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic affecting the human respiratory system severely challenges public health and urgently demands for increasing our understanding of COVID‐19 pathogenesis, especially host factors facilitating virus infection and replication. SARS‐CoV‐2 was reported to enter cells via binding to ACE2, followed by its priming by TMPRSS2. Here, we investigate ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression levels and their distribution across cell types in lung tissue (twelve donors, 39,778 cells) and in cells derived from subsegmental bronchial branches (four donors, 17,521 cells) by single nuclei and single cell RNA sequencing, respectively. While TMPRSS2 is strongly expressed in both tissues, in the subsegmental bronchial branches ACE2 is predominantly expressed in a transient secretory cell type. Interestingly, these transiently differentiating cells show an enrichment for pathways related to RHO GTPase function and viral processes suggesting increased vulnerability for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Our data provide a rich resource for future investigations of COVID‐19 infection and pathogenesis.
- Type: Other
- Archiver: European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA)
Click on a Dataset ID in the table below to learn more, and to find out who to contact about access to these data
Dataset ID | Description | Technology | Samples |
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EGAD00001006185 | Illumina HiSeq 4000 | 16 |
Publications | Citations |
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SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are primarily expressed in bronchial transient secretory cells.
EMBO J 39: 2020 e105114 |
688 |
Determinants of SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication in airway mucosal tissue and susceptibility in smokers.
Cell Rep Med 2: 2021 100421 |
15 |
SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers profibrotic macrophage responses and lung fibrosis.
Cell 184: 2021 6243-6261.e27 |
208 |
Identification of Transcription Factors Regulating SARS-CoV-2 Tropism Factor Expression by Inferring Cell-Type-Specific Transcriptional Regulatory Networks in Human Lungs.
Viruses 14: 2022 837 |
1 |
ELF5 is a potential respiratory epithelial cell-specific risk gene for severe COVID-19.
Nat Commun 13: 2022 4484 |
10 |