Human iPSC-derived alveolar and airway epithelial cells can be cultured at air-liquid interface and express SARS-CoV-2 host factors.

ABSTRACT: Development of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic is hindered by the lack of physiologically relevant model systems that can recapitulate host-viral interactions in human cell types, specifically the epithelium of the lung. Here, we compare induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived alveolar and airway epithelial cells to primary lung epithelial cell controls, focusing on expression levels of genes relevant for COVID-19 disease modeling. iPSC-derived alveolar epithelial type II-like cells (iAT2s) and iPSC-derived airway epithelial lineages express key transcripts associated with lung identity in the majority of cells produced in culture. They express ACE2 and TMPRSS2, transcripts encoding essential host factors required for SARS-CoV-2 infection, in a minor subset of each cell s

SUBMITTER: Abo KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7302183 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature