Investigations on SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Domestic and Wild Animals Using Primary Cell Culture Models Derived from the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract

Färber, Iris; Krüger, Johannes; Rocha, Cheila; Armando, Federico; von Köckritz-Blickwede, Maren; Pöhlmann, Stefan; Braun, Armin; Baumgärtner, Wolfgang; Runft, Sandra; Krüger, Nadine

doi:10.3390/v14040828

Open AccessArticle

Investigations on SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Domestic and Wild Animals Using Primary Cell Culture Models Derived from the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract

by

Iris Färber

^1,†

,

Johannes Krüger

^1,†

,

Cheila Rocha

^2,†,

Federico Armando

¹

,

Maren von Köckritz-Blickwede

^3,4

,

Stefan Pöhlmann

^2,5

,

Armin Braun

⁶,

Wolfgang Baumgärtner

^1,*

,

Sandra Runft

^1,‡

and

Nadine Krüger

^2,‡

¹

Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany

²

Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany

³

Department of Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany

⁴

Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany

⁵

Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-University, 37073 Göttingen, Germany

⁶

Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, 30625 Hannover, Germany

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

^‡

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Viruses 2022, 14(4), 828; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040828

Submission received: 7 March 2022 / Revised: 14 April 2022 / Accepted: 14 April 2022 / Published: 16 April 2022

(This article belongs to the Collection SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

Several animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, as documented by case reports and serological and in vivo infection studies. However, the susceptibility of many animal species remains unknown. Furthermore, the expression patterns of SARS-CoV-2 entry factors, such as the receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as well as transmembrane protease serine subtype 2 (TMPRSS2) and cathepsin L (CTSL), cellular proteases involved in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein activation, are largely unexplored in most species. Here, we generated primary cell cultures from the respiratory tract of domestic and wildlife animals to assess their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, the presence of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and CTSL within respiratory tract compartments was investigated in a range of animals, some with unknown susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. Productive viral replication was observed in the nasal mucosa explants and precision-cut lung slices from dogs and hamsters, whereas culture models from ferrets and multiple ungulate species were non-permissive to infection. Overall, whereas TMPRSS2 and CTSL were equally expressed in the respiratory tract, the expression levels of ACE2 were more variable, suggesting that a restricted availability of ACE2 may contribute to reduced susceptibility. Summarized, the experimental infection of primary respiratory tract cell cultures, as well as an analysis of entry-factor distribution, enable screening for SARS-CoV-2 animal reservoirs.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; respiratory tract; animals; zoonosis; primary cell cultures; ACE2; TMPRSS2; CTSL; air–liquid interface; tissue explants

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Färber, I.; Krüger, J.; Rocha, C.; Armando, F.; von Köckritz-Blickwede, M.; Pöhlmann, S.; Braun, A.; Baumgärtner, W.; Runft, S.; Krüger, N. Investigations on SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Domestic and Wild Animals Using Primary Cell Culture Models Derived from the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract. Viruses 2022, 14, 828. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040828

AMA Style

Färber I, Krüger J, Rocha C, Armando F, von Köckritz-Blickwede M, Pöhlmann S, Braun A, Baumgärtner W, Runft S, Krüger N. Investigations on SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Domestic and Wild Animals Using Primary Cell Culture Models Derived from the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract. Viruses. 2022; 14(4):828. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040828

Chicago/Turabian Style

Färber, Iris, Johannes Krüger, Cheila Rocha, Federico Armando, Maren von Köckritz-Blickwede, Stefan Pöhlmann, Armin Braun, Wolfgang Baumgärtner, Sandra Runft, and Nadine Krüger. 2022. "Investigations on SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Domestic and Wild Animals Using Primary Cell Culture Models Derived from the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract" Viruses 14, no. 4: 828. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040828

APA Style

Färber, I., Krüger, J., Rocha, C., Armando, F., von Köckritz-Blickwede, M., Pöhlmann, S., Braun, A., Baumgärtner, W., Runft, S., & Krüger, N. (2022). Investigations on SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Domestic and Wild Animals Using Primary Cell Culture Models Derived from the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract. Viruses, 14(4), 828. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040828

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Investigations on SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Domestic and Wild Animals Using Primary Cell Culture Models Derived from the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI