Drug inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication in human pluripotent stem cell-derived intestinal organoids

Krüger, Jana; Groß, Rüdiger; Conzelmann, Carina; Müller, Janis A.; Koepke, Lennart; Sparrer, Konstantin M.J.; Weil, Tatjana; Schütz, Desirée; Seufferlein, Thomas; Barth, Thomas F.E.; Stenger, Steffen; Heller, Sandra; Münch, Jan; Kleger, Alexander

Background and aims The COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide and poses a severe health risk. While most patients present mild symptoms, descending pneumonia can lead to severe respiratory insufficiency. Up to 50% of patients show gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea or nausea, intriguingly associating with prolonged symptoms and increased severity. Thus, models to understand and validate drug efficiency in COVID-19 patients are of urgent need. Methods Human intestinal organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSC-HIOs) have led, due to their complexity in mimicking human intestinal architecture, to an unprecedented number of successful disease models including gastrointestinal infections. Here, we employed PSC-HIOs to dissect SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and its inhibition by remdesivir, one of the leading drugs investigated for treatment of COVID-19. Results Immunostaining for viral entry receptor ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein priming protease TMPRSS2 showed broad expression in the gastrointestinal tract with highest levels in the intestine, the latter faithfully recapitulated by PSC-HIOs. Organoids could be readily infected with SARS-CoV-2 followed by viral spread across entire PSC-HIOs, subsequently leading to organoid deterioration. However, SARS-CoV-2 spared goblet cells lacking ACE2 expression. Importantly, we challenged PSC-HIOs for drug testing capacity. Specifically, remdesivir effectively inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection dose-dependently at low micromolar concentration and rescued PSC-HIO morphology. Conclusions Thus, PSC-HIOs are a valuable tool to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and to identify and validate drugs especially with potential action in the gut.