ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2021
Expression of the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor ACE2 in Human Retina and Diabetes-Implications for Retinopathy.
Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pathogenesis of Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Associated with COVID-19.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Coviretinopathy: COVID-19-induced VEGF-dependent retinopathy.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Retinal and Choriocapillaris Thickness and Age in Macaques in Development and Aging.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Article
- Intravitreal exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is associated with aggravated retinal lesions in a murine model of central retinal vein occlusion.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Viral mechanisms, tropism, and clinical relevance regarding the ophthalmic manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection.International journal of ophthalmology · 2026Review
- Association of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) enlargement with SARS-CoV-2 infection and long COVID-19.BMC ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Systems biology and microbiome innovations for personalized diabetic retinopathy management.NPJ systems biology and applications · 2025Review
- Long-term retinal oximetry and OCT angiography in patients recovered from COVID-19.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Potential mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in diabetic retinopathy from the perspectives of multi-omics.Diabetology & metabolic syndrome · 2025Article
- Retinal and Choriocapillaris Thickness Changes in Spontaneously Diabetic Macaques.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Article
- Productive infection of the retinal pigment epithelium by SARS-CoV-2: Initial effects and consideration of long-term consequences.PNAS nexus · 2024Article
- All eyes on PCS: analysis of the retinal microvasculature in patients with post-COVID syndrome-study protocol of a 1 year prospective case-control study.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2024Article
- Bibliometric and visual analysis of ACE2/Ang 1-7/MasR axis in diabetes and its microvascular complications from 2000 to 2023.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Article
- Tubulointerstitial Nephritis and Uveitis Syndrome During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Series.Turkish journal of ophthalmology · 2024Article
- Long-term follow-up of a bilateral acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy following COVID-19 infection: a case report.Journal of ophthalmic inflammation and infection · 2024Article
- Unilateral branch retinal artery occlusion in association with COVID-19: a case report.International journal of ophthalmology · 2024Article
- Expression of key SARS-CoV-2 entry molecules in surgically obtained human retinal biopsies.International ophthalmology · 2023Article
- Article
- Ophthalmic Presentations and Manifestations of COVID-19: A Systematic Review of Global Observations.Cureus · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the receptor for SARS-CoV-2 in human retina. Methods: Human post-mortem eyes from 13 non-diabetic control cases and 11 diabetic retinopathy cases were analyzed for the expression of ACE2. To compare the vascular ACE2 expression between different organs that involve in diabetes, the expression of ACE2 was investigated in renal specimens from nondiabetic and diabetic nephropathy patients. Expression of TMPRSS2, a cell-surface protease that facilitates SARS-CoV-2 entry, was also investigated in human nondiabetic retinas. Primary human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) and primary human retinal pericytes (HRPCs) were further used to confirm the vascular ACE2 expression in human retina. Results: We found that ACE2 was expressed in multiple nonvascular neuroretinal cells, including the retinal ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer, inner nuclear layer, and photoreceptor outer segments in both nondiabetic and diabetic retinopathy specimens. Strikingly, we observed significantly more ACE2 positive vessels in the diabetic retinopathy specimens. By contrast, in another end-stage organ affected by diabetes, the kidney, ACE2 in nondiabetic and diabetic nephropathy showed apical expression of ACE2 tubular epithelial cells, but no endothelial expression in glomerular or peritubular capillaries. Western blot analysis of protein lysates from HRECs and HRPCs confirmed expression of ACE2. TMPRSS2 expression was present in multiple retinal neuronal cells, vascular and perivascular cells, and Müller glia. Conclusions: Together, these results indicate that retina expresses ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Moreover, there are increased vascular ACE2 expression in diabetic retinopathy retinas.
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