Abstract
Currently, SARS-CoV-2 is still spreading rapidly and globally. A large proportion of patients with COVID-19 developed liver injuries. The human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hepatocytes recapitulate primary human hepatocytes and have been widely used in studies of liver diseases. To explore the susceptibility of hepatocytes to SARS-CoV-2, we differentiated iPSCs to functional hepatocytes and tried infecting them with different MOI (1, 0.1, 0.01) of SARS-CoV-2. The iPSC-derived hepatocytes are highly susceptible to virus infection, even at 0.01 MOI. Other than the ancestral strain, iHeps also support the replication of SARS-CoV-2 variants including alpha, beta, theta, and delta. More interestingly, the ACE2 expression significantly upregulated after infection, suggesting a vicious cycle between virus infection and liver injury. The iPSC-derived hepatocytes can support the replication of SARS-CoV-2, and this platform could be used to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 hepatotropism and hepatic pathogenic mechanisms.
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More From: JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
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