Host metabolism dysregulation and cell tropism identification in human airway and alveolar organoids upon SARS-CoV-2 infection

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic is caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),which is spread primary via respiratory droplets and infects the lungs.Currently widely used cell lines and animals are unable to accurately mimic human physiological conditions because of the abnormal status of cell lines(transformed or cancer cells)and species differences between animals and humans.Organoids are stem cell-derived selforganized three-dimensional culture in vitro and model the physiological conditions of natural organs.Here we showed that SARS-CoV-2 infected and extensively replicated in human embryonic stem cells(hESCs)-derived lung organoids,including airway and alveolar organoids which covered the complete infection and spread route for SARS-CoV-2 within lungs.The infected ceils were ciliated,club,and alveolar type 2(AT2)cells,which were sequentially located from the proximal to the distal airway and terminal alveoli,respectively.Additionally,RNA-seq revealed early cell response to virus infection including an unexpected downregulation of the metabolic processes,especially lipid metabolism,in addition to the well-known upregulation of immune response.Further,Remdesivir and a human neutralizing antibody potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in lung organoids.Therefore,human lung organoids can serve as a pathophysiological model to investigate the underlying mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to discover and test therapeutic drugs for COVID-19.

Single-cell analysis reveals bronchoalveolar epithelial dysfunction in COVID-19 patients

Dear Editor,In 2019,a zoonotic coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)was identified as the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19).As of 8 June 2020,the World Health Organization(WHO)has reported 6,912,751 globally confirmed cases with 400,469 deaths.Although generally causes mild disease,SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in serious outcomes,including acute lung injury(ALI)and acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS),the leading cause of mortality in patients with comorbidities.Recent autopsy studies of COVID-19 patients revealed mononuclear infiltration and excessive production of mucus in the infected lung,especially in the damaged small airways and alveoli(Bian and Team,2020;Liu et al.,2020).