Expressions and significances of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 gene, the receptor of SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19

Abstract

The ACE2 gene is a receptor of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) for COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). To analyze the expression profiles and clinical significances for this gene in humans, RNA-seq data representing 27 different tissues were analyzed using NCBI; total RNA was extracted from different tissues of mouse and semi-quantitative reverse transcriptional-polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) was carried out. Immunohistochemistry expression profiles in normal tissues and cancer tissues and TCGA survival analysis in renal and liver cancer were conducted. ACE2 was highly conserved in different species. In normal tissues, ACE2 expression distributions were organ-specific, mainly in the kidney, male testis and female breast, and cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. High level of expression in testis, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal system indicated that SARS-CoV-2 might not only attack the lungs, but also affect other organs, particularly the testes, thus it may severely damage male sexual development for younger male and lead to infertility in an adult male, if he contracted COVID-19. On the other side, high expression of ACE2 was correlated with increased survival rate in renal and liver cancer, indicating that ACE2 is a prognostic marker in both renal cancer and liver cancers. Thus, the ACE2 is a functional receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and has a potential anti-tumor role in cancer. Taken together, this study may not only provide potential clues for further medical pathogenesis of COVID-19 and male fertility, but also indicate the clinical significance of the role of the ACE2 gene in cancer.

Caring for cancer patients in the Covid pandemic: choosing between the devil and deep sea

“…This increase also correlated with immune infiltrate present in the tumor; the authors suggested that these tumors may be more prone to Covid-19 infections [36]; however, the authors failed to present any evidence to suggest this hypothesis. Similar bioinformatics study by Fu et al also showed similar results and they suggested that testes may also get affected by Covid-19 infections [37]. Other tumors that may be affected are pancreas and colon [38].…”

Obesity and COVID-19: Molecular Mechanisms Linking Both Pandemics

“…AT expresses various receptors and enzymes required for SARS-CoV-2 infection. ACE2, the functional receptor for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, is highly expressed in AT [118,119]. Its mRNA was detected in human AT, with higher ACE2 expression in visceral compared to subcutaneous AT [120,121].…”

Male Fertility and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of the Literature

“…1). These receptors are widely expressed in the lungs (particularly type II pneumocytes and macrophages), cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, kidneys, neurological tissues, and the testes [10,17,18]. Here, the viruses replicate within the cells, releasing mature virions, which in turn infect new target cells [19].…”