Receptors for SARS-CoV-2 Present in Wide Variety of Human Cells

Analyses from single-cell sequencing datasets support the idea that COVID-19 is not just a respiratory disease but an illness that can affect multiple organs.

chris baraniuk
| 4 min read
ace2 tmprss2 coronavirus sars-cov-2 covid-19 single-cell sequencing transcript genetics gene expression human cell atlas

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ABOVE: Human cell types within corresponding organs that express the genes for both ACE2 and CTSL (green dot) or both ACE2 and TMPRSS2 (orange dot).
ANNA HUPALOWSKA

When the SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the human body, it breaks into cells with the help of two proteins that it finds there, ACE2 and TMPRSS2. While there has been much discussion of viral infection in gut and lung cells, researchers have dug into massive gene expression datasets to show that other potential target cells also producing ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are scattered throughout the body—including in the heart, bladder, pancreas, kidney, and nose. There are even some in the eye and brain.

The results, published in a preprint on bioRxiv April 21, show that such cells are strikingly abundant. Many are epithelial cells, which line the outer surface of organs. The new findings add to an emerging picture of SARS-CoV-2 as a virus that can ...

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Meet the Author

  • chris baraniuk

    Chris Baraniuk

    Chris Baraniuk is a freelance science journalist based in Northern Ireland who contributes to The Scientist.
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