Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression in COPD and IPF fibroblasts: the forgotten cell in COVID-19
- PMID: 33112187
- PMCID: PMC7869954
- DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00455.2020
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression in COPD and IPF fibroblasts: the forgotten cell in COVID-19
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome leading to death in susceptible individuals. For those who recover, post-COVID-19 complications may include development of pulmonary fibrosis. Factors contributing to disease severity or development of complications are not known. Using computational analysis with experimental data, we report that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)- and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-derived lung fibroblasts express higher levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the receptor for SARS-CoV-2 entry and part of the renin-angiotensin system that is antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory. In preclinical models, we found that chronic exposure to cigarette smoke, a risk factor for both COPD and IPF and potentially for SARS-CoV-2 infection, significantly increased pulmonary ACE2 protein expression. Further studies are needed to understand the functional implications of ACE2 on lung fibroblasts, a cell type that thus far has received relatively little attention in the context of COVID-19.
Keywords: ACE2; COPD; IPF; SARS-CoV-2; fibroblast.
Conflict of interest statement
No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the authors.
Figures
![Fig. 1.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/7869954/bin/AJ-ALUN200041F001.gif)
![Fig. 2.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/7869954/bin/AJ-ALUN200041F002.gif)
![Fig. 3.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/7869954/bin/AJ-ALUN200041F003.gif)
References
-
- Zhou P, Yang XL, Wang XG, Hu B, Zhang L, Zhang W, Si HR, Zhu Y, Li B, Huang CL, Chen HD, Chen J, Luo Y, Guo H, Jiang RD, Liu MQ, Chen Y, Shen XR, Wang X, Zheng XS, Zhao K, Chen QJ, Deng F, Liu LL, Yan B, Zhan FX, Wang YY, Xiao GF, Shi ZL. A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin. Nature 579: 270–273, 2020. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2012-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous