ACE2 Expression in the Cat and the Tiger Gastrointestinal Tracts.

ABSTRACT: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as the functional receptor for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has been identified in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated in human and animal fecal samples. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of ACE2 in the gastrointestinal tract of domestic (cat) and wild (tiger) felines. Samples of the pylorus, duodenum, and distal colon were collected from six cats and one tiger. The tissues were processed for immunofluorescence assay with an anti-human ACE2 antibody. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 was widely expressed in the gastrointestinal mucosa of the cats and the tiger. In both the species, ACE2-immunoreactivity (ACE2-IR) was expressed by the

SUBMITTER: Chiocchetti R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7438561 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature