Gastrointestinal symptoms and fecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA are frequently observed in COVID-19 patients. However, it is unclear whether SARS-CoV-2 replicates in the human intestine and contributes to possible fecal-oral transmission. Here, we report productive infection of SARS-CoV-2 in ACE2 + mature enterocytes in human small intestinal enteroids. Expression of two mucosa-specific serine proteases, TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS4, facilitated SARS-CoV-2 spike fusogenic activity and promoted virus entry into host cells. We also demonstrate that viruses released into the intestinal lumen were inactivated by simulated human colonic fluid, and infectious virus was not recovered from the stool specimens of COVID-19 patients. Our results highlight the intestine as a potential site of SARS-CoV-2 replication, which may contribute to local and systemic illness and overall disease progression. The SARS-CoV-2 virus infects cultured ACE2-expressing human enterocytes aided by the TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS4 serine proteases.
【저자키워드】 TMPRSS2, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, Infection, SARS-CoV-2 virus, Local, Transmission, Symptom, virus, Disease progression, Stool, intestine, TMPRSS4, virus entry, Gastrointestinal, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, SARS-CoV-2 replication, COVID-19 patients, inactivated, SARS-CoV-2 spike, Infectious virus, fecal, host cells, specimen, infect, serine proteases, intestinal, highlight, systemic illness, replicate, facilitated, contribute, released, promoted, Enterocyte, colonic, intestinal lumen, 【제목키워드】 SARS-COV-2 infection, TMPRSS4, promote, intestinal enterocyte,