| First Author | Koester ST | Year | 2021 |
| Journal | PLoS One | Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | e0248730 |
| PubMed ID | 33725024 | Mgi Jnum | J:303461 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6513026 | Doi | 10.1371/journal.pone.0248730 |
| Citation | Koester ST, et al. (2021) Variability in digestive and respiratory tract Ace2 expression is associated with the microbiome. PLoS One 16(3):e0248730 |
| abstractText | COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) patients exhibiting gastrointestinal symptoms are reported to have worse prognosis. Ace2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2), the gene encoding the host protein to which SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins bind, is expressed in the gut and therefore may be a target for preventing or reducing severity of COVID-19. Here we test the hypothesis that Ace2 expression in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts is modulated by the microbiome. We used quantitative PCR to profile Ace2 expression in germ-free mice, conventional raised specific pathogen-free mice, and gnotobiotic mice colonized with different microbiota. Intestinal Ace2 expression levels were significantly higher in germ-free mice compared to conventional mice. A similar trend was observed in the respiratory tract. Intriguingly, microbiota depletion via antibiotics partially recapitulated the germ-free phenotype, suggesting potential for microbiome-mediated regulation of Ace2 expression. Variability in intestinal Ace2 expression was observed in gnotobiotic mice colonized with different microbiota, partially attributable to differences in microbiome-encoded proteases and peptidases. Together, these data suggest that the microbiome may be one modifiable factor determining COVID-19 infection risk and disease severity. |
