SARS-CoV-2 Receptors and Entry Genes Are Expressed in the Human Olfactory Neuroepithelium and Brain
Leon Fodoulian,
Joël Tuberosa,
Daniel Rossier,
Madlaina Boillat,
Chenda Kan,
Véronique Pauli,
Kristof Egervari,
Johannes A. Lobrinus,
Basile N. Landis,
Alan Carleton,
Ivan Rodriguez
Affiliations
Leon Fodoulian
Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel-Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Joël Tuberosa
Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Daniel Rossier
Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Madlaina Boillat
Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Chenda Kan
Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Véronique Pauli
Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Kristof Egervari
Service of Clinical Pathology, Department of Genetic Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel-Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Johannes A. Lobrinus
Service of Clinical Pathology, Department of Genetic Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
Basile N. Landis
Rhinology-Olfactology Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
Alan Carleton
Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel-Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Corresponding author
Ivan Rodriguez
Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Corresponding author
Summary: Reports indicate an association between COVID-19 and anosmia, as well as the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virions in the olfactory bulb. To test whether the olfactory neuroepithelium may represent a target of the virus, we generated RNA-seq libraries from human olfactory neuroepithelia, in which we found substantial expression of the genes coding for the virus receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) and for the virus internalization enhancer TMPRSS2. We analyzed a human olfactory single-cell RNA-seq dataset and determined that sustentacular cells, which maintain the integrity of olfactory sensory neurons, express ACE2 and TMPRSS2. ACE2 protein was highly expressed in a subset of sustentacular cells in human and mouse olfactory tissues. Finally, we found ACE2 transcripts in specific brain cell types, both in mice and humans. Sustentacular cells thus represent a potential entry door for SARS-CoV-2 in a neuronal sensory system that is in direct connection with the brain.
