Elsevier

Obesity Medicine

Volume 19, September 2020, 100283
Obesity Medicine

Association of high level gene expression of ACE2 in adipose tissue with mortality of COVID-19 infection in obese patients

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obmed.2020.100283Get rights and content

Highlights

  • SARS-CoV-2 binding to the ACE2 receptor is a critical step mediating virus entry into target cells.

  • Articles have alluded but not established that ACE2 gene expression in adipose tissue is higher than lung tissue.

  • ACE2 gene expression is higher in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues than lung tissue.

  • This critical discovery implies that adipose tissue is susceptible to SARS-Cov-2 infection via the ACE2 receptor.

Abstract

Introduction

Obese patients have an increased risk of COVID-19 critical illness leading to ICU admission or death compared to normal weight individuals. SARS-CoV-2 binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is a critical step mediate virus entry into target cells. Articles have alluded that the level of ACE2 gene expression in adipose tissue is higher than lung tissue, but a PubMed search found no results in articles to demonstrate this. The aim of this study was to investigate ACE2 gene expression in adipose tissue and lung tissue using a public database.

Material and methods

A search of a public gene expression database to investigate ACE2 gene expression in human tissues.

Results

ACE2 gene expression was present in both visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues. The gene expression profile demonstrated that ACE2 gene expression was higher in human visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues than human lung tissue.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that ACE2 gene expression is higher in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue than that in lung tissue, a major target tissue affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection. This suggests a mechanism by which excess adiposity may drive greater infection severity in patients with COVID-19.

Keywords

Adipose tissue
Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor
Coronavirus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
COVID-19

Abbreviations

ACE
angiotensin converting enzyme
ACE2
angiotensin converting enzyme-2
AT1
angiotensin 1
AT2
angiotensin 2
AT(1–7)
angiotensin (1–7)
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019
SARS CoV
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
SARS CoV-2
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2

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