SARS-CoV-2 Targets by the pscRNA Profiling of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and Furin Proteases
Lulin Zhou,
Zubiao Niu,
Xiaoyi Jiang,
Zhengrong Zhang,
You Zheng,
Zhongyi Wang,
Yichao Zhu,
Lihua Gao,
Hongyan Huang,
Xiaoning Wang,
Qiang Sun
Affiliations
Lulin Zhou
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China; School of Medicine, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
Zubiao Niu
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China
Xiaoyi Jiang
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China; Department of Oncology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital of Capital Medical University, 10 TIEYI Road, Beijing 100038, P. R. China
Zhengrong Zhang
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China
You Zheng
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China
Zhongyi Wang
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China
Yichao Zhu
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China
Lihua Gao
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China
Hongyan Huang
Department of Oncology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital of Capital Medical University, 10 TIEYI Road, Beijing 100038, P. R. China; Corresponding author
Xiaoning Wang
School of Medicine, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China; School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, P. R. China; National Clinic Center of Geriatric, the Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P. R. China; Corresponding author
Qiang Sun
Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongda Street, Beijing 100071, P.R. China; Corresponding author
Summary: The cellular targets of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, is still rudimentary. Here, we incorporated the protein information to analyze the expression of ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, together with co-factors, TMPRSS2 and Furin, at single-cell level in situ, which we called protein-proofed single-cell RNA (pscRNA) profiling. Systemic analysis across 36 tissues revealed a rank list of candidate cells potentially vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. The top targets are lung AT2 cells and macrophages, then cardiomyocytes and adrenal gland stromal cells, followed by stromal cells in testis, ovary, and thyroid, whereas the kidney proximal tubule cells, cholangiocytes, and enterocytes are less likely to be the primary SARS-CoV-2 targets. Actually, the stomach may constitute a physical barrier against SARS-CoV-2 as the acidic environment (pH < 2.0) could completely inactivate SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-viruses. Together, we provide a comprehensive view on the potential SARS-CoV-2 targets by pscRNA profiling.
