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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.10.09.463766

SARS-CoV-2 infects and replicates in photoreceptor and retinal ganglion cells of human retinal organoids

Menuchin-Lasowski, Y.·Schreiber, A.·Lecanda, A.·Mecate-Zambrano, A.·Brunotte, L.·Psathaki, O. E.·Ludwig, S.·Rauen, T.·Schoeler, H. R.
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Abstract

Several studies have pointed to retinal involvement in COVID-19 disease, yet many questions remain regarding the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to infect and replicate in retinal cells and its effects on the retina. Here we have used human stem cell-derived retinal organoids to study retinal infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Indeed, SARS-CoV-2 can infect and replicate in retinal organoids, as it is shown to infect different retinal lineages, such as retinal ganglion cells and photoreceptors. SARS-CoV-2 infection of retinal organoids also induces the expression of several inflammatory genes, such as interleukin 33, a gene associated with acute COVID-19 disease and retinal degeneration. Finally, we show that the use of antibodies to block the ACE2 receptor significantly reduces SARS-CoV-2 infection of retinal organoids, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 infects retinal cells in an ACE2-dependent manner. These results suggest a retinal involvement in COVID-19 and emphasize the need to monitor retinal pathologies as potential sequelae of "long COVID".

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Menuchin-Lasowski, Y., Schreiber, A., Lecanda, A., Mecate-Zambrano, A., Brunotte, L., Psathaki, O. E., Ludwig, S., Rauen, T., Schoeler, H. R.. 2021-10-12. SARS-CoV-2 infects and replicates in photoreceptor and retinal ganglion cells of human retinal organoids. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.09.463766

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