Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34293134›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of infectious diseases2021

Is SARS-CoV-2 Infection a Risk Factor for Early Pregnancy Loss? ACE2 and TMPRSS2 Coexpression and Persistent Replicative Infection in Primitive Trophoblast.

Jie Zhou, Sehee Choi, Heidi Liu, Jialin Zhang, Yuchen Tian, Andrea G Edlow, Toshihiko Ezashi, R Michael Roberts, Wenjun Ma, Danny J Schust

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of infectious diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trophoblast ferroptosis restricts SARS-CoV-2 spread in the placenta.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Jie ZhouDepartment of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6991-9766
Sehee ChoiDepartment of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Heidi LiuDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Jialin ZhangDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Yuchen TianChristopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Andrea G EdlowDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Toshihiko EzashiChristopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
R Michael RobertsChristopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Wenjun MaDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Danny J SchustDepartment of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Missouri College · USUniversity of Missouri · USUniversity of Missouri Health System · USHarvard University · US

Funding

Modeling Normal and Abnormal TrophoblastsR01HD094937 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA · PI R. MICHAEL ROBERTS, Laura Clamon SCHULZ · 2018 to 2026
$4.5M
Sex Differences in Fetal Brain-Placental Immune Programming in Maternal ObesityR01HD100022 · NICHD · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI EDLOW, ANDREA GOLDBERG · 2019 to 2021
$2.0M
VTCN1 regulation of MHC in early human placental developmentR21AI145071 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA · PI EZASHI, TOSHIHIKO, SCHUST, DANNY J · 2020 to 2021
$426k
NIAID NIH HHS R21 AI145071NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD094937NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD100022NIH HHS 3R01HD094937University of Missouri
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSARS-CoV-2 infection in term placenta is rare. However, growing evidence suggests that susceptibility of the human placenta to infection may vary by gestational age and pathogen. For several viral infections, susceptibility appears to be greatest during early gestation. Peri-implantation placental infections that result in pre-clinical pregnancy loss would typically go undetected. Little is known about the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the peri-implantation human placenta since this time in pregnancy can only be modeled in vitro.

methodsWe used a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived model of peri-implantation placental development to assess patterns of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 transcription and protein expression in primitive trophoblast. We then infected the same trophoblast cell model with a clinical isolate of SARS-CoV-2 and documented infection dynamics.

resultsACE2 and TMPRSS2 were transcribed and translated in hESC-derived trophoblast, with preferential expression in syncytialized cells. These same cells supported replicative and persistent infection by SARS-CoV-2, while non-syncytialized trophoblast cells in the same cultures did not.

conclusionsCo-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in hESC-derived trophoblast and the robust and replicative infection limited to syncytiotrophoblast equivalents support the hypothesis that increased viral susceptibility may be a defining characteristic of primitive trophoblast.

Indexed as

Abortion, SpontaneousAdultAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2COVID-19FemaleHumansPersistent InfectionPlacentaPregnancyPregnancy Complications, InfectiousRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2Serine EndopeptidasesTrophoblastsAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2Serine EndopeptidasesTMPRSS2 protein, humanACE2COVID-19miscarriageplacentaSARS-CoV-2spontaneous abortionstem cellTMPRSS2trophoblast

Identifiers

PMID34293134
PMCPMC8411376
OpenAlexW3185457093

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

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.