In addition to the ACE2 receptor, other cofactors such as the protein TMPRSS2 must be present on the cells for an infection to occur. Using a single-cell sequencing technique to investigate around 60,000 cells and searching to see whether the cells switched on corresponding genes for this receptor as well as possible cofactors, they found out that primarily precursor cells of the bronchi are affected. These precursor cells normally develop further into cilia-bearing cells that have the task of transporting mucus and foreign substances such as bacteria out of the lungs.
Original paper:
Soeren Lukassen, Robert Lorenz Chua, Timo Trefzer, Nicolas C. Kahn, Marc A. Schneider, Thomas Muley, Hauke Winter, Michael Meister, Carmen Veith, Agnes W. Boots, Bianca P. Hennig, Michael Kreuter, Christian Conrad & Roland Eils (2020). SARS‐CoV‐2 receptor ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are primarily expressed in bronchial transient secretory cells. EMBO Journal; 2020 https://www.embopress.org/doi/10.15252/embj.2020105114
Source:
https://www.bionity.com/de/news/1165773/welche-zellen-das-neuartige-coronavirus-befaellt.html?pk_campaign=ca0264&WT.mc_id=ca0264
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Wednesday, 15 April 2020 21:28
Is Covid-19 starting in precursor cells? Featured
Scientists from the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Charité University Medicine Berlin and the Thorax Clinic of the University Hospital Heidelberg have used non-infected lung cells from a lung biobank to find out which cell types of the lung and bronchia are preferentially affected by the coronavirus.
Dr. rer. nat.
Menschen für Tierrechte - Tierversuchsgegner Rheinland-Pfalz e.V.