A novel subset of putative stem/progenitor CD34(+)Oct-4(+) cells is the major target for SARS coronavirus in human lung

Chen, Yongxiong; Chan, Vera Sau-Fong; Zheng, Bojian; Chan, Kelvin Yuen-Kwong; Xu, Xiaoning; To, Leo Yuk-Fai; Huang, Fang-Ping; Khoo, Ui-Soon; Lin, Chen-Lung Steve

Lung samples, antibodies, and cRNA probes. Lung autopsy from nine patients fatally infected with SARS were retrieved for the study. Non-SARS lung samples were obtained from 14 adults having lobectomy for lung cancers with approval by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Hong Kong. Mouse anti-SARS CoV nucleocapsid antibody was produced as described previously ( 13 ) . Other primary antibodies used were listed in Table S1 (available at http://www.jem.org/cgi/content/full/jem.20070462/DC1). Antisense and sense of cRNA probes for FISH and ISH were generated as described previously ( 13 ) . CD34 cRNA probe corresponding to nucleotides 590 -1034 (GenBank accession no. S53910 ) and Oct-4 cRNA probe corresponding to nucleotides 454 -1046 (GenBank accession no. NM002701 ) were used. ACE2 and L-SIGN (CD209L) probes were described previously ( 13 ) .