Single cell atlas for 11 non-model mammals, reptiles and birds.

Authors
Chen, Dongsheng 
Sun, Jian 
Zhu, Jiacheng 
Ding, Xiangning 
Lan, Tianming 

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Abstract

The availability of viral entry factors is a prerequisite for the cross-species transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Large-scale single-cell screening of animal cells could reveal the expression patterns of viral entry genes in different hosts. However, such exploration for SARS-CoV-2 remains limited. Here, we perform single-nucleus RNA sequencing for 11 non-model species, including pets (cat, dog, hamster, and lizard), livestock (goat and rabbit), poultry (duck and pigeon), and wildlife (pangolin, tiger, and deer), and investigated the co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Furthermore, cross-species analysis of the lung cell atlas of the studied mammals, reptiles, and birds reveals core developmental programs, critical connectomes, and conserved regulatory circuits among these evolutionarily distant species. Overall, our work provides a compendium of gene expression profiles for non-model animals, which could be employed to identify potential SARS-CoV-2 target cells and putative zoonotic reservoirs.

Publication Date
2021-12-06
Online Publication Date
2021-12-06
Acceptance Date
2021-09-18
Keywords
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, Animals, Atlases as Topic, Birds, Cell Communication, Evolution, Molecular, Gene Regulatory Networks, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Lung, Mammals, Receptors, Virus, Reptiles, SARS-CoV-2, Serine Endopeptidases, Single-Cell Analysis, Transcriptome, Viral Tropism, Virus Internalization
Journal Title
Nat Commun
Journal ISSN
2041-1723
2041-1723
Volume Title
12
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC