Submitted:
21 May 2020
Posted:
23 May 2020
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Preprints on COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2
Abstract
Severe Covid-19 disease is associated with endothelial infection, viraemia, and multi-organ dysfunction. The process through which SARS-CoV2 causes severe disease is yet to be determined. Here, we propose that in severe Covid-19 infection, SARS-CoV2 reaches the host bloodstream by infecting endothelial cells through their basal surface. This occurs, independently of ACE2, through CD147, a putative SARS-CoV2 receptor. The pathway proposed here encourages research on the mechanisms mediating endothelial cell infection in Covid-19.
Keywords:
Covid-19
; Endothelial
; CD147
; SARS-CoV2
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