ArticleClinical & translational immunology2021
Endothelial cells are not productively infected by SARS-CoV-2.
Article in Clinical & translational immunology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 141 citations in OpenAlex.
- Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome in patients with COVID-19 infection: is there a link? A systematic review and case report analysis.Journal of neurology · 2023Pooled it
- COVID-19 Vasculitis and vasculopathy-Distinct immunopathology emerging from the close juxtaposition of Type II Pneumocytes and Pulmonary Endothelial Cells.Seminars in immunopathology · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of TRV027 on coagulation in COVID-19: A pilot randomized, placebo-controlled trial.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2023Trial
- Humulus lupus extract rich in xanthohumol improves the clinical course in critically ill COVID-19 patients.Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie · 2023Trial
- Revisiting endothelial tropism of SARS-CoV-2 using a cell-specific hACE2 mouse model.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- T1R3 Anchors ACE2 at the Pulmonary Endothelial Cell Surface to Attenuate Vascular Injury Following SARS-CoV-2 Spike 1 Protein Exposure In Vitro.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2026Article
- Extra gene coding capacity of SARS-CoV-2 provides a virus engineering platform for in vitro and in vivo applications.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Resistance of endothelial cells to SARS-CoV-2 infectionJournal of virology · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 enhances complement-mediated endothelial injury via the suppression of membrane complement regulatory proteins.Emerging microbes & infections · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 uptake and inflammatory response in senescent endothelial cells are regulated by the BSG/VEGFR2 pathway.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Sustained Vascular Inflammatory Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein on Human Endothelial Cells.Inflammation · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 infection promotes lung thrombosis by inducing integrinβ3 expression in vascular endothelial cells.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan and Omicron Variant Proteins on Type I Interferon Response.Viruses · 2025Article
- Endothelial growth media components alter SARS-CoV-2 spike-directed growth kinetics.Journal of virological methods · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 S-protein expression drives syncytia formation in endothelial cells.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Unveiling the immunomodulatory dance: endothelial cells' function and their role in non-small cell lung cancer.Molecular cancer · 2025Review
- Challenging the notion of endothelial infection by SARS-CoV-2: insights from the current scientific evidence.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Risk impact of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and spike protein on cardiac tissue: a comprehensive review.Physiological research · 2024Review
- SARS-CoV-2 infection of human pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular cells reveals smooth muscle cells as key mediators of vascular pathology during infection.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Interactions of SARS-CoV-2 with Human Target Cells-A Metabolic View.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
21 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
15 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThrombotic and microvascular complications are frequently seen in deceased COVID-19 patients. However, whether this is caused by direct viral infection of the endothelium or inflammation-induced endothelial activation remains highly contentious.
methodsHere, we use patient autopsy samples, primary human endothelial cells and an
resultsWe show that primary human endothelial cells express very low levels of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and the protease TMPRSS2, which blocks their capacity for productive viral infection, and limits their capacity to produce infectious virus. Accordingly, endothelial cells can only be infected when they overexpress ACE2, or are exposed to very high concentrations of SARS-CoV-2. We also show that SARS-CoV-2 does not infect endothelial cells in 3D vessels under flow conditions. We further demonstrate that in a co-culture model endothelial cells are not infected with SARS-CoV-2. Endothelial cells do however sense and respond to infection in the adjacent epithelial cells, increasing ICAM-1 expression and releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines.
conclusionsTaken together, these data suggest that
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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.