To predict the tropism of human coronaviruses, we profile 28 SARS-CoV-2 and coronavirus-associated receptors and factors (SCARFs) using single-cell transcriptomics across various healthy human tissues. SCARFs include cellular factors both facilitating and restricting viral entry. Intestinal goblet cells, enterocytes, and kidney proximal tubule cells appear highly permissive to SARS-CoV-2, consistent with clinical data. Our analysis also predicts non-canonical entry paths for lung and brain infections. Spermatogonial cells and prostate endocrine cells also appear to be permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting male-specific vulnerabilities. Both pro- and anti-viral factors are highly expressed within the nasal epithelium, with potential age-dependent variation, predicting an important battleground for coronavirus infection. Our analysis also suggests that early embryonic and placental development are at moderate risk of infection. Lastly, SCARF expression appears broadly conserved across a subset of primate organs examined. Our study establishes a resource for investigations of coronavirus biology and pathology. Graphical Abstract Singh et al. provide a resource to predict the tropism and identify the plausible entry points for SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogenic coronaviruses throughout the human body. The RNA levels of 28 genes dubbed “SCARFs,” for SARS-CoV-2 and coronavirus-associated receptors and factors, are profiled in human tissues at the single-cell level.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Coronaviruses, scRNA-seq, Restriction factors, viral receptors,