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SARS-CoV-2 Infects Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes, Impairing Electrical and Mechanical Function.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Marchiano, Silvia 
Hsiang, Tien-Ying 
Khanna, Akshita 
Higashi, Ty 
Whitmore, Leanne S 

Abstract

COVID-19 patients often develop severe cardiovascular complications, but it remains unclear if these are caused directly by viral infection or are secondary to a systemic response. Here, we examine the cardiac tropism of SARS-CoV-2 in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) and smooth muscle cells (hPSC-SMCs). We find that that SARS-CoV-2 selectively infects hPSC-CMs through the viral receptor ACE2, whereas in hPSC-SMCs there is minimal viral entry or replication. After entry into cardiomyocytes, SARS-CoV-2 is assembled in lysosome-like vesicles and egresses via bulk exocytosis. The viral transcripts become a large fraction of cellular mRNA while host gene expression shifts from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism and upregulates chromatin modification and RNA splicing pathways. Most importantly, viral infection of hPSC-CMs progressively impairs both their electrophysiological and contractile function, and causes widespread cell death. These data support the hypothesis that COVID-19-related cardiac symptoms can result from a direct cardiotoxic effect of SARS-CoV-2.

Description

Keywords

COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, arrhythmias and heart failure, cardiac infection, cardiovascular disease, hESC-CMs, hPSC-CMs, human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, viral myocarditis, COVID-19, Cells, Cultured, Humans, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Myocytes, Cardiac, RNA Splicing, RNA, Messenger, SARS-CoV-2, Virus Internalization

Journal Title

Stem Cell Reports

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2213-6711
2213-6711

Volume Title

16

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
British Heart Foundation (None)
British Heart Foundation (RG/17/5/32936)
Wellcome Trust (203568/Z/16/Z)
British Heart Foundation (FS/18/46/33663)
Medical Research Council (MC_PC_17230)