Generation and characterization of a humanized ACE2 mouse model to study long-term impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

ABSTRACT: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has officially ended, the persistent challenge of long-COVID or post-acute COVID sequelae (PASC) continues to impact societies globally, highlighting the urgent need for ongoing research into its mechanisms and therapeutic approaches. Our team has recently developed a novel humanized ACE2 mouse model (hACE2ki) designed explicitly for long-COVID/PASC research. This model exhibits human ACE2 expression in tissue and cell-specific patterns akin to mouse Ace2. When we exposed young adult hACE2ki mice (6 weeks old) to various SARS-CoV-2 lineages, including WA, Delta, and Omicron, at a dose of 5 × 10⁵ PFU/mouse via nasal instillation, the mice demonstrated distinctive phenotypes characterized by differences in viral load in the lung, trachea, and nasal t

SUBMITTER: Choi CY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10783855 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature