Integrative Bioinformatics Analysis Provides Insight into the Molecular Mechanisms of 2019-nCoV

He, Xiang; Zhang, Lei; Ran, Qin; Xiong, Anying; Wang, Junyi; Wu, Dehong; Chen, Feng; Li, Guoping

The 2019-nCoV is reported to share the same entry (ACE2) as SARS-CoV according to the updated findings. Analyzing the distribution and expression level of the route of coronavirus may help reveal underlying mechanisms of viral susceptibility and post-infection modulation. In this study, we found that the expression of ACE2 in healthy populations and patients with underlying diseases was not significantly different, suggesting relatively similar susceptibility, which was consistent with current clinical observations. Moreover, based on the expression of ACE2 in smoking individuals, we inferred that long-term smoking might be a risk factor for 2019-nCoV. Analyzing the ACE2 in SARS-CoV infected cells suggested that ACE2 was more than just a receptor but also participated in post-infection regulation, including immune response, cytokine secretion, and viral genome replication. We also constructed Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and identified hub genes in viral activity and cytokine secretion. Our findings could explain the clinical symptoms so far and help clinicians and researchers understand the pathogenesis and design therapeutic strategies for 2019-nCoV.