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SARS-CoV-2 receptor and entry genes are expressed by sustentacular cells in the human olfactory neuroepithelium

Leon Fodoulian, Joel Tuberosa, Daniel Rossier, Basile N. Landis, Alan Carleton, Ivan Rodriguez
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.31.013268
Leon Fodoulian
1Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
2Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel-Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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Joel Tuberosa
1Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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Daniel Rossier
1Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
3current address: Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
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Basile N. Landis
4Rhinology-Olfactology Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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Alan Carleton
2Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel-Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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  • For correspondence: alan.carleton@unige.ch ivan.rodriguez@unige.ch
Ivan Rodriguez
1Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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  • For correspondence: alan.carleton@unige.ch ivan.rodriguez@unige.ch
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Abstract

The recent emergence of the pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 initiated a worldwide health crisis. The entry of the virus into cells is mediated by the binding of the viral Spike protein to the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), followed by its priming by the TMPRSS2 serine protease, both present on the cellular membrane of the target cells. In the respiratory tract, these targets are ciliated cells. Interestingly, various reports indicate an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and anosmia, suggesting an alteration not restricted to the respiratory tissue, but that might also include the olfactory sensory epithelium. We explored this possibility by generating RNA-seq libraries from human neuroepithelium, in which we found significant expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. To determine whether specific cell types of this chemosensory tissue may coexpress both of the virus entry genes, we analyzed a scRNA-seq dataset. We determined that sustentacular cells, which are in direct contact with the external world and maintain the integrity of olfactory sensory neurons, represents a prime candidate for SARS-CoV-2 infection via the nose, and possibly for SARS-CoV-2-induced anosmia.

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Posted April 02, 2020.
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SARS-CoV-2 receptor and entry genes are expressed by sustentacular cells in the human olfactory neuroepithelium
Leon Fodoulian, Joel Tuberosa, Daniel Rossier, Basile N. Landis, Alan Carleton, Ivan Rodriguez
bioRxiv 2020.03.31.013268; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.31.013268
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SARS-CoV-2 receptor and entry genes are expressed by sustentacular cells in the human olfactory neuroepithelium
Leon Fodoulian, Joel Tuberosa, Daniel Rossier, Basile N. Landis, Alan Carleton, Ivan Rodriguez
bioRxiv 2020.03.31.013268; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.31.013268

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