Wenbin Liu, Yue Zhao, Junyan Fan, Jiaying Shen, Hailin Tang, Wanda Tang, Di Wu, Weijin Huang, Yibo Ding, Peng Qiao, Jiansheng Lin, Zishuai Li, Qianqian Li, Qianqian Cui, Yan Liu, Yifan Chen, Rui Pu, Xue Han, Jianhua Yin, Xiaojie Tan, Guangwen Cao
Cigarette smoke aggravates severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, they show that benzo[a]pyrene in cigarette smoke extract facilitates SARS-CoV-2 infection via upregulating angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2). Benzo[a]pyrene trans-activates the promoters of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 by upregulating nuclear receptor subfamily 4 A number 2 (NR4A2) and promoting its binding of NR4A2 to their promoters, which is independent of functional genetic polymorphisms in ACE2 and TMPRSS2...
July 10, 2023: Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)