Single-cell RNA-seq data analysis on the receptor ACE2 expression reveals the potential risk of different human organs vulnerable to 2019-nCoV infection
Open accessAbstract
It has been known that, the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, which is considered similar to SARS-CoV, invades human cells via the receptor angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2). Moreover, lung cells that have ACE2 expression may be the main target cells during 2019-nCoV infection. However, some patients also exhibit non-respiratory symptoms, such as kidney failure, implying that 2019-nCoV could also invade other organs. To construct a risk map of different human organs, we analyzed the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets derived from major human physiological systems, including the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, and urinary systems. Through scRNA-seq data analyses, we identified the organs at risk, such as lung, heart, esophagus, kidney, bladder, and ileum, and located specific cell types (i.e., type II alveolar cells (AT2), myocardial cells, proximal tubule cells of the kidney, ileum and esophagus epithelial cells, and bladder urothelial cells), which are vulnerable to 2019-nCoV infection. Based on the findings, we constructed a risk map indicating the vulnerability of different organs to 2019-nCoV infection. This study may provide potential clues for further investigation of the pathogenesis and route of 2019-nCoV infection.
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- Authors
- Zou, X., Chen, K., Zou, J., Han, P., Hao, J., & Han, Z.
- Affiliations
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Hao, Jie
- Venue
- Frontiers of Medicine
- Published
- 2020-03-12
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 185-192
- ISSN
- 1673-7342 (ISSN-L)
- 2095-0217
- 2095-0225
- PMC
- PMC7088738
- OpenAlex
- W3012180666
- Cited by
- 2,287
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 136 · 2023: 233 · 2022: 388 · 2021: 681 · 2020: 774 · 2019: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 68.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Frontiers of Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Innovative Research Team of High-level Local University in Shanghai
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (2017ZX10203207, 31601070, 31800253, 81672772)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2019TPA09)
- National Science and Technology Major Project (No. 2017ZX10203207, 2017ZX10203207)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Keywords
- SARS-CoV-2, ACE2 receptor, single-cell RNA sequencing, risk map, lung, heart, kidney, esophagus, ileum, urinary bladder, alveolar type II cells, myocardial cells, proximal tubular epithelial cells, epithelial cells, viral pathogenesis, infection route
- MeSH terms
- Betacoronavirus, RNA-Seq, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Humans, Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A, Organ Specificity, Pneumonia, Viral, Risk Factors, Coronavirus Infections, Pandemics, Single-Cell Analysis
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