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Single-cell analysis of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and spike protein priming expression of proteases in the human heart.
Cardiovasc Res. 2020 08 01; 116(10):1733-1741.CR

Abstract

AIMS

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) directly binds to ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) to facilitate cellular entry. Compared with the lung or respiratory tract, the human heart exhibits greater ACE2 expression. However, little substantial damage was found in the heart tissue, and no viral particles were observed in the cardiac myocytes. This study aims to analyse ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein proteases at the single-cell level, to explore the cardiac involvement in COVID-19 and improve our understanding of the potential cardiovascular implications of COVID-19.

METHODS AND RESULTS

With meta-analysis, the prevalence of cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients varies from 2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0-5%, I2 = 0%] in non-ICU patients to 59% (95% CI 48-71%, I2 = 85%) in non-survivors. With public single-cell sequence data analysis, ACE2 expression in the adult human heart is higher than that in the lung (adjusted P < 0.0001). Inversely, the most important S protein cleavage protease TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease serine protease-2) in the heart exhibits an extremely lower expression than that in the lung (adjusted P < 0.0001), which may restrict entry of SARS-CoV-2 into cardiac cells. Furthermore, we discovered that other S protein proteases, CTSL (cathepsin L) and FURIN (furin, paired basic amino acid cleaving enzyme), were expressed in the adult heart at a similar level to that in the lung, which may compensate for TMPRSS2, mediating cardiac involvement in COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

Compared with the lung, ACE2 is relatively more highly expressed in the human heart, while the key S protein priming protease, TMPRSS2, is rarely expressed. The low percentage of ACE2+/TMPRSS2+ cells reduced heart vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 to some degree. CTSL and FURIN may compensate for S protein priming to mediate SARS-CoV-2 infection of the heart.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Liu H
National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China.
Gai S
National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China.
Wang X
National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China.
Zeng J
National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China.
Sun C
National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China.
Zhao Y
National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China.
Zheng Z
National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China. National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine, Zhengzhou, PR China.

MeSH

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2BetacoronavirusCOVID-19Coronavirus InfectionsHumansLungMyocardiumPandemicsPeptide HydrolasesPeptidyl-Dipeptidase APneumonia, ViralProteolysisSARS-CoV-2Single-Cell AnalysisSpike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

32638018

Citation

Liu, Hanning, et al. "Single-cell Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Receptor ACE2 and Spike Protein Priming Expression of Proteases in the Human Heart." Cardiovascular Research, vol. 116, no. 10, 2020, pp. 1733-1741.
Liu H, Gai S, Wang X, et al. Single-cell analysis of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and spike protein priming expression of proteases in the human heart. Cardiovasc Res. 2020;116(10):1733-1741.
Liu, H., Gai, S., Wang, X., Zeng, J., Sun, C., Zhao, Y., & Zheng, Z. (2020). Single-cell analysis of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and spike protein priming expression of proteases in the human heart. Cardiovascular Research, 116(10), 1733-1741. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvaa191
Liu H, et al. Single-cell Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Receptor ACE2 and Spike Protein Priming Expression of Proteases in the Human Heart. Cardiovasc Res. 2020 08 1;116(10):1733-1741. PubMed PMID: 32638018.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Single-cell analysis of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and spike protein priming expression of proteases in the human heart. AU - Liu,Hanning, AU - Gai,Shujie, AU - Wang,Xiaoyi, AU - Zeng,Juntong, AU - Sun,Cheng, AU - Zhao,Yan, AU - Zheng,Zhe, PY - 2020/04/22/received PY - 2020/06/09/revised PY - 2020/07/06/accepted PY - 2020/7/9/pubmed PY - 2020/8/18/medline PY - 2020/7/9/entrez KW - ACE2 KW - COVID-19 KW - Cardiac injury KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - TMPRSS2 SP - 1733 EP - 1741 JF - Cardiovascular research JO - Cardiovasc Res VL - 116 IS - 10 N2 - AIMS: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) directly binds to ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) to facilitate cellular entry. Compared with the lung or respiratory tract, the human heart exhibits greater ACE2 expression. However, little substantial damage was found in the heart tissue, and no viral particles were observed in the cardiac myocytes. This study aims to analyse ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein proteases at the single-cell level, to explore the cardiac involvement in COVID-19 and improve our understanding of the potential cardiovascular implications of COVID-19. METHODS AND RESULTS: With meta-analysis, the prevalence of cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients varies from 2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0-5%, I2 = 0%] in non-ICU patients to 59% (95% CI 48-71%, I2 = 85%) in non-survivors. With public single-cell sequence data analysis, ACE2 expression in the adult human heart is higher than that in the lung (adjusted P < 0.0001). Inversely, the most important S protein cleavage protease TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease serine protease-2) in the heart exhibits an extremely lower expression than that in the lung (adjusted P < 0.0001), which may restrict entry of SARS-CoV-2 into cardiac cells. Furthermore, we discovered that other S protein proteases, CTSL (cathepsin L) and FURIN (furin, paired basic amino acid cleaving enzyme), were expressed in the adult heart at a similar level to that in the lung, which may compensate for TMPRSS2, mediating cardiac involvement in COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Compared with the lung, ACE2 is relatively more highly expressed in the human heart, while the key S protein priming protease, TMPRSS2, is rarely expressed. The low percentage of ACE2+/TMPRSS2+ cells reduced heart vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 to some degree. CTSL and FURIN may compensate for S protein priming to mediate SARS-CoV-2 infection of the heart. SN - 1755-3245 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/32638018/Single_cell_analysis_of_SARS_CoV_2_receptor_ACE2_and_spike_protein_priming_expression_of_proteases_in_the_human_heart_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -