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According to a new study, two types of cells in the nose are the most likely entry points for the new coronavirus. Researchers have discovered a particularly large amount of protein in these cells that the virus uses for infection.
Several research teams examined cells from the lungs, nose, eyes, intestines, heart, kidneys and liver, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin reported on Thursday. They wanted to find out which cells contain the two most important entry proteins, ACE2 and TMPRSS2, that the virus uses to enter our bodies.
“We then demonstrated that mucus-producing goblet cells and hair cells in the nose have the highest concentrations of these two proteins,” explained lead author Waradon Sungnak of the Wellcome Sanger Institute. “This makes these cells the most likely primary route of infection for the virus.”
Also in the eye and intestine.
The Max Delbrück Center reported that the two most important input proteins are also found in the corneal cells of the eye and in the intestinal mucosa. This indicates another possible route of infection through the eye or the lacrimal glands. The MDC writes quite cautiously that there is also the possibility of transmission through feces and oral ingestion. The research teams published their results in the journal “Nature Medicine”.
According to the MDC message, up to 20 percent of coronaviru patients suffer damage to the heart muscle up to heart failure. The docking station for the coronavirus was also found there. However, it is still unclear whether the virus itself causes damage to the heart or whether it is a side effect.
The study is the result of the global Human Cell Atlas consortium. The consortium wants to create reference maps for all human cells to understand health and disease. More than 1,600 researchers in 70 countries participate.
