Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Jackson, Robert M
• Hatton, Catherine F
• Spegarova, Jarmila Stremenova
• Georgiou, Maria
• Collin, Joseph
• Stephenson, Emily
• Verdon, Bernard
• Haq, Iram J
• Hussain, Rafiqul
• Coxhead, Jonathan M
• Mudhar, Hardeep-Singh
• Wagner, Bart
• Hasoon, Megan
• Davey, Tracey
• Rooney, Paul
• Khan, C M Anjam
• Ward, Chris
• Brodlie, Malcolm
• Haniffa, Muzlifah
• Hambleton, Sophie
• Armstrong, Lyle
• Figueiredo, Francisco
• Queen, Rachel
• Duncan, Christopher J A
• Lako, Majlinda

Titel

Conjunctival epithelial cells resist productive SARS-CoV-2 infection

Ist Teil von

• Stem cell reports, 2022-07, Vol.17 (7), p.1699-1713

Ort / Verlag

United States: Elsevier

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Conjunctival epithelial cells, which express viral-entry receptors angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine type 2 (TMPRSS2), constitute the largest exposed epithelium of the ocular surface tissue and may represent a relevant viral-entry route. To address this question, we generated an organotypic air-liquid-interface model of conjunctival epithelium, composed of basal, suprabasal, and superficial epithelial cells, and fibroblasts, which could be maintained successfully up to day 75 of differentiation. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), with complementary imaging and virological assays, we observed that while all conjunctival cell types were permissive to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome expression, a productive infection did not ensue. The early innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in conjunctival cells was characterised by a robust autocrine and paracrine NF-κB activity, without activation of antiviral interferon signalling. Collectively, these data enrich our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection at the human ocular surface, with potential implications for the design of preventive strategies and conjunctival transplantation.