• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Datta Lab

  • Research
  • The Basics
  • Academics
  • Lab Members
  • Life in the Lab
  • Publications
  • Links
  • Contact

Life in the Lab

August 10, 2020

Non-neuronal expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry genes in the olfactory system suggests mechanisms underlying COVID-19-associated anosmia

Brann DH, Tsukahara T, Weinreb C, Lipovsek M, Van den Berge K, Gong B, Chance R, Macaulay IC, Chou H, Fletcher RB, Das D, Street K, Roux de Bezieux H, Choi YG, Risso D, Dudoit S, Purdom E, Mill J, Hachem RA, Matsunami H, Logan DW, Goldstein BJ, Grubb MS, Ngai J, and Datta SR (2020)

Non-neuronal expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry genes in the olfactory system suggests mechanisms underlying COVID-19-associated anosmia

Science Adv. 6:eabc5801

Altered olfactory function is a common symptom of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), but its etiology is unknown. A key question is whether SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; CoV-2)—the causal agent in COVID-19—affects olfaction directly, by infecting olfactory sensory neurons or their targets in the olfactory bulb, or indirectly, by perturbing support cells. Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that support and stem cells in the human and mouse olfactory epithelium and vascular pericytes in the mouse olfactory bulb express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is essential for CoV-2 cell entry. In contrast, ACE2 was not detected in either olfactory sensory neurons or olfactory bulb neurons. Immunostaining confirmed these results and revealed pervasive expression of ACE2 protein in dorsally located olfactory epithelial sustentacular cells and mouse olfactory bulb pericytes. These findings suggest that CoV-2 infection of non-neuronal cell types leads to olfactory dysfunction in patients with COVID-19.

Posted by

« Newer Posts
Older Post »

Primary Sidebar

Blog Archive

  • June 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • October 2018
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • May 2015
  • October 2014
  • January 2014
  • January 2013
  • October 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • February 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • July 2010

HISTORY SHOWS AGAIN AND AGAIN HOW NATURE POINTS OUT THE FOLLY OF MEN – “GODZILLA,” BLUE OYSTER CULT

Sandeep Robert Datta, MD, Ph.D Department of Neurobiology Harvard Medical School