Systemic analysis of tissue cells potentially vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection by the protein-proofed single-cell RNA profiling of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and Furin proteases

Lulin Zhou; Zubiao Niu; Xiaoyi Jiang; Zhengrong Zhang; You Zheng; Zhongyi Wang; Yichao Zhu; Lihua Gao; Xiaoning Wang; Qiang Sun

The identification of lung macrophages and adrenal gland stromal cells as the SARS-CoV-2 targets might be much informative for clinical practises and translational researches, because the COVID-19 disease frequently proceeded to severe or very severe stage in a short period [1] , which suggests systemic conditions occurred probably due to the deregulated immune and endocrine systems. Whereas, macrophages are critical inflammatory cells that were linked to the cytokine storm [43, 44] , a severe condition leading to patient death; meanwhile, adrenal gland, via producing multiple hormones such as glucocorticoid, plays a central role in the endocrine homeostasis [45] . Therefore, it's conceivable that their infection by SARS-CoV-2 may be accountable for the rapid progression and severe conditions of COVID-19 disease. Additionally, stromal cells in reproductive system (ovary and testis) and thyroid gland were also identified as potential target cells under the condition of viremia, suggesting potential injuries in these tissues. Actually, a recent study reported a significant change in certain male sex hormones in COVID-19 male patients [46] , which is consistent with the notion that testis is potentially targeted by SARS-CoV-2.