SARS‐CoV‐2 virus and liver expression of host receptors: Putative mechanisms of liver involvement in COVID‐19

SOOKOIAN, SILVIA; PIROLA, CARLOS J.

LIVER INTERNATIONAL

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2020 vol. 40 p. 2038 - 2040

1478-3223

We assessed the gene expression levels of SARS‐CoV2‐interacting host receptors in the liver tissue and their distribution across cell types according to single‐cell transcriptomic experiments retrieved from the Single Cell Portal. We focused on angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2 ), transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2 ) and paired basic amino acid cleaving enzyme (FURIN ) gene expression levels. Our analysis shows that the three human host receptors are expressed in the liver tissue; however, expression levels extensively vary across cell types. ACE2 presents the highest expression levels in cholangiocytes, followed by hepatocytes. TMPRSS2 is expressed in cholangiocytes, hepatocytes, periportal liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, erytroid cells, and in a much lesser extent in non‐inflammatory macrophages and alpha‐beta T cells. FURIN shows expression levels across all cell types, from hepatocytes to all populations of liver resident cells.Together, these findings support the possibility that SARS‐CoV‐2 may cause direct liver injury by viral cytopathic effect (directly by lysis and/or by inducing necrotic/apoptotic effect/s). Furthermore, the expression pattern in cell clusters associated with numerous active immune pathways, for example, inflammatory macrophages, natural killer cells, plasma cells, mature B cells and cells of the liver endothelial microenvironment, opens the possibility of SARS‐CoV‐2 ‐immune‐mediated liver damage.