SUMMARY
To explore whether the expression levels of viral-entry associated genes might contribute to the milder symptoms in children, we analyzed the expression of these genes in both children and adults’ lung tissues by single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Both scRNA-seq and IHC analyses showed comparable levels of the key genes for SARS-CoV-2 entry in children and adults, including ACE2, TMPRSS2 and FURIN, suggesting that instead of lower virus intrusion rate, other factors are more likely to be the key reasons for the milder symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infected children.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
No external funding was received for this study.
Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Children's Medical Center (SCMCIRB-K2020034), and written informed consent was obtained from (the parents of) each patient.
All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.
Yes
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Yes
I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.
Yes
Data Availability
All data can be found in the manuscript and the supplementary materials.