SARS-CoV-2 infection modulates ACE2 function and subsequent inflammatory responses in swabs and plasma of COVID-19 patients

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a host ectopeptidase and the receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, albeit virus-ACE2 interaction goes far beyond viral entry into target cells. Controversial data exists linking viral infection to changes in ACE2 expression and function, which might influence t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Gutiérrez-Chamorro, Lucía, Riveira Muñoz, Eva, Barrios Barrera, Clara, Palau González, Vanesa, Nevot, Maria, Pedreño-López, Sònia, Senserrich, Jordi, Massanella Luna, Marta, 1983-, Clotet, Bonaventura, Cabrera, Cecilia, Mitjà, Oriol, Crespo Barrio, Marta, Pascual Santos, Julio, Riera, Marta, Ballana Guix, Ester
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10230/53732
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/53732
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v13091715
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:SARS-CoV-2-ACE2
Biomarker
Inflammation
Descripción
Sumario:Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a host ectopeptidase and the receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, albeit virus-ACE2 interaction goes far beyond viral entry into target cells. Controversial data exists linking viral infection to changes in ACE2 expression and function, which might influence the subsequent induction of an inflammatory response. Here, we tested the significance of soluble ACE2 enzymatic activity longitudinally in nasopharyngeal swabs and plasma samples of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, along with the induction of inflammatory cytokines. Release of soluble functional ACE2 increases upon SARS-CoV-2 infection in swabs and plasma of infected patients, albeit rapidly decreasing during infection course in parallel with ACE2 gene expression. Similarly, SARS-CoV-2 infection also induced the expression of inflammatory cytokines. These changes positively correlated with the viral load. Overall, our results demonstrate the existence of mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 modulates ACE2 expression and function, intracellular viral sensing and subsequent inflammatory response, offering new insights into ACE2 dynamics in the human upper respiratory tract and pointing towards soluble ACE2 levels as a putative early biomarker of infection severity.