Integrated Single-Cell Atlases Reveal an Oral SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Transmission Axis

作者：Ni Huang, Paola Pérez, Takafumi Kato, Yu Mikami, Kenichi Okuda, Rodney C. Gilmore, Cecilia Domínguez Conde, Billel Gasmi, Sydney Stein, Margaret Beach, Eileen Pelayo, José O. Maldonado, Bernard A. P. Lafont, Ricardo Padilla, Valerie A. Murrah, Robert Maile, W. George Lovell, Shannon M. Wallet, Natalie M. Bowman, Suzanne L. Meinig, Matthew C. Wolfgang, Saibyasachi N. Choudhury, Mark Novotny, Brian D. Aevermann, Richard H. Scheuermann, Gabrielle Cannon, Carlton Anderson, Julie T. Marchesan, Mandy Bush, Marcelo Freire, Adam J. Kimple, Daniel Herr, Joseph Rabin, Alison Grazioli, Benjamin N. French, Thomas Pranzatelli, John A. Chiorini, David E. Kleiner, Stefania Pittaluga, Stephen M. Hewitt, Peter D. Burbelo, Daniel S. Chertow, HCA Oral and Craniofacial Biological Network, Karen M. Frank, Janice Lee, Richard C. Boucher, Sarah A. Teichmann, Blake M. Warner, Kevin M. Byrd · 发表于：medRxiv · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1101/2020.10.26.20219089 · 被引用次数：48 · 研究领域：Dermatological and COVID-19 studies、SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing、SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research

ABSTRACT Despite signs of infection, the involvement of the oral cavity in COVID-19 is poorly understood. To address this, single-cell RNA sequencing data-sets were integrated from human minor salivary glands and gingiva to identify 11 epithelial, 7 mesenchymal, and 15 immune cell clusters. Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry factor expression showed enrichment in epithelia including the ducts and acini of the salivary glands and the suprabasal cells of the mucosae. COVID-19 autopsy tissues confirmed in vivo SARS-CoV-2 infection in the salivary glands and mucosa. Saliva from SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals harbored epithelial cells exhibiting ACE2 expression and SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Matched nasopharyngeal and saliva samples found distinct viral shedding dynamics and viral burden in saliva correlated with COVID-19 symptoms including taste loss. Upon recovery, this cohort exhibited salivary antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Collectively, the oral cavity represents a robust site for COVID-19 infection and implicates saliva in viral transmission.