ArticleScience advances2020
Non-neuronal expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry genes in the olfactory system suggests mechanisms underlying COVID-19-associated anosmia.
Article in Science advances, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 732 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Smell in Covid-19 and Efficacy of Nasal Theophylline
Fluvoxamine to Augment Olfactory Recovery For Long COVID-19 Parosmia (FluCOP Trial)
Smell in COVID-19 and Efficacy of Nasal Theophylline 3
Who cites it
732 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,229 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurobiological mechanisms of olfactory dysfunction: a ten-year bibliometric and visualization analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Photobiomodulation in the management of persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunction post-COVID-19: a systematic review.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Qualitative Olfactory Dysfunction and COVID-19: An Evidence-Based Review with Recommendations for the Clinician.American journal of rhinology & allergy · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review of the biological mediators of fat taste and smell.Physiological reviews · 2023Pooled it
- The APOLLO trial: a proof-of-concept study for vitamin A nasal drops in COVID-19-related postinfectious olfactory dysfunction.Chemical senses · 2026Trial
- Human brain matters: Navigating the neuropathology of COVID-19.Brain pathology (Zurich, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Review
- Systematic benchmarking of ambient RNA decontamination tools to advance precision in single-cell transcriptomic analysis.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Cadherin 1 negatively regulates SARS-CoV-2 infection in the olfactory epithelium.EMBO reports · 2026Article
- Review
- The Unmet Need of Olfactory Testing in Inflammatory Disorders of the Upper Airways-An EAACI Position Paper.Allergy · 2026Review
- Neurodegenerative and Cognitive Consequences of Long COVID.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Evolving stem cell fate capacities and transcriptional priming in the developing olfactory epithelium.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Cell-type Plasticity Supports Behavioral Adaptations at the Water-to-Land Interface.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Single-nucleus analysis of the adult human olfactory epithelium uncovers shared neurogenesis programs with the brain.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Neurological impairment in long COVID: implications for neurodegenerative disease.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Olfactory Training for COVID-19-Related Olfactory Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Turkish archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2026Article
- SARS-CoV-2 infects olfactory neurons and basal stem cells and induces axonal degeneration through TRPV1 activation.iScience · 2026Article
- One-year longitudinal cohort study of chemosensory recovery and plasma biomarker dynamics in SARS-CoV-2 survivors.Scientific reports · 2026Article
672 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
25 authors at 9 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Altered olfactory function is a common symptom of COVID-19, but its etiology is unknown. A key question is whether SARS-CoV-2 (CoV-2) - the causal agent in COVID-19 - affects olfaction directly, by infecting olfactory sensory neurons or their targets in the olfactory bulb, or indirectly, through perturbation of supporting cells. Here we identify cell types in the olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb that express SARS-CoV-2 cell entry molecules. Bulk sequencing demonstrated that mouse, non-human primate and human olfactory mucosa expresses two key genes involved in CoV-2 entry, ACE2 and TMPRSS2. However, single cell sequencing revealed that ACE2 is expressed in support cells, stem cells, and perivascular cells, rather than in neurons. Immunostaining confirmed these results and revealed pervasive expression of ACE2 protein in dorsally-located olfactory epithelial sustentacular cells and olfactory bulb pericytes in the mouse. These findings suggest that CoV-2 infection of non-neuronal cell types leads to anosmia and related disturbances in odor perception in COVID-19 patients.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.