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ACE2 and TMPRSS2 Immunolocalization and COVID-19-Related Thyroid Disorder

Authors :
Gi-Cheol Park
Hyoun-Wook Lee
Ji-Min Kim
Ji-Min Han
Hye-In Kim
Sung-Chan Shin
Yong-il Cheon
Eui-Suk Sung
Minhyung Lee
Jin-Choon Lee
Dong-Min Shin
Byung-Joo Lee
Source :
Biology, Vol 11, Iss 5, p 697 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

Thyroid dysfunction has been reported to be an extrapulmonary symptom of COVID-19. It is important to identify the tissue subset that expresses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), which are essential for host infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in order to understand the viral pathogenesis of COVID-19-related thyroid dysfunction. We investigated the expression and distribution of ACE2- and TMPRSS2-expressing cells in the thyroid gland. RT-PCR and Western blotting were performed on human thyroid follicular cells (Nthy-ori3-1) and rat thyroid tissues to detect the expression levels of ACE and TMPRSS2 mRNA and proteins. We also analyzed the expression patterns of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in 9 Sprague-Dawley rats and 15 human thyroid tissues, including 5 normal, 5 with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and 5 with Graves’ disease, by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence. Both ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNAs and proteins were detected in the thyroid tissue. However, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 proteins were not expressed in thyroid follicular cells. In IHC, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were not stained in the follicular cells. No cells co-expressed ACE2 and TMPRSS2. ACE2 was expressed in pericytes between follicles, and TMPRSS2 was mainly stained in the colloid inside the follicle. There was no difference in expression between the normal thyroid, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and Graves’ disease. SARS-CoV-2 does not directly invade the thyroid follicular cells. Whether SARS-CoV-2 infection of pericytes can affect COVID-19-related thyroid dysfunction warrants further study.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20797737
Volume :
11
Issue :
5
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Biology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.970acd76b613429f9cf118f45bcaa329
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11050697