Glycated ACE2 receptor in diabetes : open door for SARS-COV-2 entry in cardiomyocyte

RATIONALE: About 50% of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) developed myocardial damage. The mechanisms of direct SARS-CoV-2 cardiomyocyte infection include viral invasion via ACE2-Spike glycoprotein-binding. In DM patients, the impact of glycation of ACE2 on cardiomyocyte invasion by SARS-CoV-2 can be of high importance.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in cardiomyocytes from heart autopsy of DM cases compared to Non-DM; to investigate the role of DM in SARS-COV-2 entry in cardiomyocytes.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated consecutive autopsy cases, deceased for COVID-19, from Italy between Apr 30, 2020 and Jan 18, 2021. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 in cardiomyocytes, expression of ACE2 (total and glycosylated form), and transmembrane protease serine protease-2 (TMPRSS2) protein. In order to study the role of diabetes on cardiomyocyte alterations, independently of COVID-19, we investigated ACE2, glycosylated ACE2, and TMPRSS2 proteins in cardiomyocytes from DM and Non-DM explanted-hearts. Finally, to investigate the effects of DM on ACE2 protein modification, an in vitro glycation study of recombinant human ACE2 (hACE2) was performed to evaluate the effects on binding to SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. The authors included cardiac tissue from 97 autopsies. DM was diagnosed in 37 patients (38%). Fourth-seven out of 97 autopsies (48%) had SARS-CoV-2 RNA in cardiomyocytes. Thirty out of 37 DM autopsy cases (81%) and 17 out of 60 Non-DM autopsy cases (28%) had SARS-CoV-2 RNA in cardiomyocytes. Total ACE2, glycosylated ACE2, and TMPRSS2 protein expressions were higher in cardiomyocytes from autopsied and explanted hearts of DM than Non-DM. In vitro exposure of monomeric hACE2 to 120 mM glucose for 12 days led to non-enzymatic glycation of four lysine residues in the neck domain affecting the protein oligomerization.

CONCLUSIONS: The upregulation of ACE2 expression (total and glycosylated forms) in DM cardiomyocytes, along with non-enzymatic glycation, could increase the susceptibility to COVID-19 infection in DM patients by favouring the cellular entry of SARS-CoV2.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:20

Enthalten in:

Cardiovascular diabetology - 20(2021), 1 vom: 07. Mai, Seite 99

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

D'Onofrio, Nunzia [VerfasserIn]
Scisciola, Lucia [VerfasserIn]
Sardu, Celestino [VerfasserIn]
Trotta, Maria Consiglia [VerfasserIn]
De Feo, Marisa [VerfasserIn]
Maiello, Ciro [VerfasserIn]
Mascolo, Pasquale [VerfasserIn]
De Micco, Francesco [VerfasserIn]
Turriziani, Fabrizio [VerfasserIn]
Municinò, Emilia [VerfasserIn]
Monetti, Pasquale [VerfasserIn]
Lombardi, Antonio [VerfasserIn]
Napolitano, Maria Gaetana [VerfasserIn]
Marino, Federica Zito [VerfasserIn]
Ronchi, Andrea [VerfasserIn]
Grimaldi, Vincenzo [VerfasserIn]
Hermenean, Anca [VerfasserIn]
Rizzo, Maria Rosaria [VerfasserIn]
Barbieri, Michelangela [VerfasserIn]
Franco, Renato [VerfasserIn]
Campobasso, Carlo Pietro [VerfasserIn]
Napoli, Claudio [VerfasserIn]
Municinò, Maurizio [VerfasserIn]
Paolisso, Giuseppe [VerfasserIn]
Balestrieri, Maria Luisa [VerfasserIn]
Marfella, Raffaele [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

ACE2
ACE2 protein, human
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
COVID-19
Cardiomyocyte
Diabetes
EC 3.4.17.23
Heart
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
SARS-CoV-2

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 19.05.2021

Date Revised 19.05.2021

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1186/s12933-021-01286-7

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM325143943