College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
2.
Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences/Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
3.
Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
4.
Centre for Cell Lineage and Atlas, Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510530, China
5.
Laboratory of Environment and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
6.
Kunming National High-level Biosafety Research Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
#Authors contributed equally to this work
Funds:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (31900331, 32070444), Science and Technology Department of Yunnan Province (202001AW070019), Chinese Academy of Sciences “Light of West China” Program and Youth Innovation Promotion Association (2019378) to L.J. and the NSFC (21761142002), Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB31000000, SAJC201606 and KGFZD-135-17-011), and Yunnan Province (2019-YT-053 and 2019ZF003) to R.L. and the NSFC (91643206) to W.J.D
The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as of 8 May 2021, has surpassed 150 700 000 infections and 3 279 000 deaths worldwide. Evidence indicates that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected on particulate matter (PM), and COVID-19 cases are correlated with levels of air pollutants. However, the mechanisms of PM involvement in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 remain poorly understood. Here, we found that PM exposure increased the expression level of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) in several epithelial cells and increased the adsorption of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Instillation of PM in a hACE2 mouse model significantly increased the expression of ACE2 and Tmprss2 and viral replication in the lungs. Furthermore, PM exacerbated the pulmonary lesions caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection in the hACE2 mice. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that PM is an epidemiological factor of COVID-19, emphasizing the necessity of wearing anti-PM masks to cope with this global pandemic.
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