ACE2 Expression in the Cat and the Tiger Gastrointestinal Tracts
ACE2 Expression in the Cat and the Tiger Gastrointestinal Tracts
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DOI：
10.3389/fvets.2020.00514
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发表时间：
2020-08-13
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Pietra, Marco
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chiocchetti, Roberto;Galiazzo, Giorgia;Pietra, Marco
血管紧张素转换酶2(ACE2)是严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)的功能性受体。已在人的胃肠道(GIT)中鉴定出SARS-CoV-2，并在人和动物的粪便样本中分离到SARS-CoV-2。本研究旨在探讨血管紧张素转换酶2(ACE2)在家猫(猫)和野生猫(虎)胃肠道的表达。采集了6只猫和1只老虎的幽门、十二指肠和远端结肠的样本。用抗人血管紧张素转换酶2抗体进行免疫荧光分析。血管紧张素转换酶2在猫和老虎的胃肠粘膜中广泛表达。在这两个物种中，ACE2免疫反应(ACE2-IR)由胃粘膜上皮细胞和肠神经元表达。在猫，ACE2-IR也在血管和丘状肌层的平滑肌细胞中表达。ACE2受体在肠神经细胞中的表达可能支持SARS-CoV-2潜在的神经亲和性。虽然猫胃中ACE2-IR的证据不一定表明病毒复制和SARS-CoV-2通过粪便传播的可能性，但本研究的发现可以作为进一步研究SARS-CoV-2在猫/猫之间以及猫/猫与人之间粪口传播风险的解剖学基础。
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as the functional receptor for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has been identified in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated in human and animal fecal samples. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of ACE2 in the gastrointestinal tract of domestic (cat) and wild (tiger) felines. Samples of the pylorus, duodenum, and distal colon were collected from six cats and one tiger. The tissues were processed for immunofluorescence assay with an anti-human ACE2 antibody. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 was widely expressed in the gastrointestinal mucosa of the cats and the tiger. In both the species, ACE2-immunoreactivity (ACE2-IR) was expressed by the mucosal epithelial cells of the GIT and by the enteric neurons. In the cats, ACE2-IR was also expressed by the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels and thetunica muscularis. The expression of the ACE2 receptor in enteric neurons may support the potential neurotropic properties of SARS-CoV-2. Although the evidence of ACE2-IR in the feline GIT does not necessarily indicate the possibility of viral replication and SARS-CoV-2 spread with stool, the findings in the present study could serve as an anatomical basis for additional studies considering the risk of the SARS-CoV-2 fecal-oral transmission between cats/felids, and between cats/felids and humans.