Journal
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
Volume 11, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.596898
Keywords
diabetes; COVID-19; angiotensin I-converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2); beta-cell; human pancreatic islets; SARS-CoV-2; inflammation
Categories
Funding
- Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 (IMI2) Joint Undertaking [115797-INNODIA, 945268 INNODIA HARVEST]
- Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
- EFPIA
- JDRF
- Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
- Italian Ministry of University and Research [2017KAM2R5_003, 201793XZ5A_006]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Increasing evidence demonstrated that the expression of Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme type 2 (ACE2) is a necessary step for SARS-CoV-2 infection permissiveness. In light of the recent data highlighting an association between COVID-19 and diabetes, a detailed analysis aimed at evaluating ACE2 expression pattern distribution in human pancreas is still lacking. Here, we took advantage of INNODIA network EUnPOD biobank collection to thoroughly analyze ACE2, both at mRNA and protein level, in multiple human pancreatic tissues and using several methodologies. Using multiple reagents and antibodies, we showed that ACE2 is expressed in human pancreatic islets, where it is preferentially expressed in subsets of insulin producing beta-cells. ACE2 is also highly expressed in pancreas microvasculature pericytes and moderately expressed in rare scattered ductal cells. By using different ACE2 antibodies we showed that a recently described short-ACE2 isoform is also prevalently expressed in human beta-cells. Finally, using RT-qPCR, RNA-seq and High-Content imaging screening analysis, we demonstrated that pro-inflammatory cytokines, but not palmitate, increase ACE2 expression in the beta-cell line EndoC-beta H1 and in primary human pancreatic islets. Taken together, our data indicate a potential link between SARS-CoV-2 and diabetes through putative infection of pancreatic microvasculature and/or ductal cells and/or through direct beta-cell virus tropism.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available