The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)is a primary cell surface viral binding receptor for SARS-CoV-2,so finding new regulatory molecules to modulate ACE2 expression levels is a promising strategy against COVID-19....The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)is a primary cell surface viral binding receptor for SARS-CoV-2,so finding new regulatory molecules to modulate ACE2 expression levels is a promising strategy against COVID-19.In the current study,we utilized islet organoids derived from human embryonic stem cells(hESCs),animal models and COVID-19 patients to discover that fibroblast growth factor 7(FGF7)enhances ACE2 expression within the islets,facilitating SARS-CoV-2 infection and resulting in impaired insulin secretion.Using hESC-derived islet organoids,we demonstrated that FGF7 interacts with FGF receptor 2(FGFR2)and FGFR1 to upregulate ACE2 expression predominantly inβcells.This upregulation increases both insulin secretion and susceptibility ofβcells to SARS-CoV-2 infection.Inhibiting FGFR counteracts the FGF7-induced ACE2 upregulation,subsequently reducing viral infection and replication in the islets.Furthermore,retrospective clinical data revealed that diabetic patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms exhibited elevated serum FGF7 levels compared to those with mild symptoms.Finally,animal experiments indicated that SARS-CoV-2 infection increased pancreatic FGF7 levels,resulting in a reduction of insulin concentrations in situ.Taken together,our research offers a potential regulatory strategy for ACE2 by controlling FGF7,thereby protecting islets from SARS-CoV-2 infection and preventing the progression of diabetes in the context of COVID-19.展开更多
基金This work was supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFA0908200 and 2021YFA1101300)GuangDong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(202201011198)+1 种基金Guangzhou Laboratory Key Research Foundation(TL22-21)R&D Program of Guangzhou National Laboratory(SRPG22-021).
文摘The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)is a primary cell surface viral binding receptor for SARS-CoV-2,so finding new regulatory molecules to modulate ACE2 expression levels is a promising strategy against COVID-19.In the current study,we utilized islet organoids derived from human embryonic stem cells(hESCs),animal models and COVID-19 patients to discover that fibroblast growth factor 7(FGF7)enhances ACE2 expression within the islets,facilitating SARS-CoV-2 infection and resulting in impaired insulin secretion.Using hESC-derived islet organoids,we demonstrated that FGF7 interacts with FGF receptor 2(FGFR2)and FGFR1 to upregulate ACE2 expression predominantly inβcells.This upregulation increases both insulin secretion and susceptibility ofβcells to SARS-CoV-2 infection.Inhibiting FGFR counteracts the FGF7-induced ACE2 upregulation,subsequently reducing viral infection and replication in the islets.Furthermore,retrospective clinical data revealed that diabetic patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms exhibited elevated serum FGF7 levels compared to those with mild symptoms.Finally,animal experiments indicated that SARS-CoV-2 infection increased pancreatic FGF7 levels,resulting in a reduction of insulin concentrations in situ.Taken together,our research offers a potential regulatory strategy for ACE2 by controlling FGF7,thereby protecting islets from SARS-CoV-2 infection and preventing the progression of diabetes in the context of COVID-19.
