Enhanced isolation of SARS-CoV-2 by TMPRSS2- expressing cells

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 117; no. 13; pp. 7001 - 7003
• Main Authors: Matsuyama, Shutoku, Nao, Naganori, Shirato, Kazuya, Kawase, Miyuki, Saito, Shinji, Takayama, Ikuyo, Nagata, Noriyo, Sekizuka, Tsuyoshi, Katoh, Hiroshi, Kato, Fumihiro, Sakata, Masafumi, Tahara, Maino, Kutsuna, Satoshi, Ohmagari, Norio, Kuroda, Makoto, Suzuki, Tadaki, Kageyama, Tsutomu, Takeda, Makoto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 31.03.2020
• Series: Brief Report
• Subjects: Animals; Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification; Biological Sciences; BRIEF REPORTS; Cell Line; Chlorocebus aethiops; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease Outbreaks; Humans; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Respiratory diseases; RNA, Viral - metabolism; SARS-CoV-2; Serine Endopeptidases - metabolism; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Vero Cells; Viral diseases; Virus Cultivation; VeroE6; TMPRSS2; coronavirus; outbreak; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002589117

A novel betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which caused a large respiratory outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019, is currently spreading across many countries globally. Here, we show that a TMPRSS2- expressing VeroE6 cell line is highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, making it useful for isolating and propagating SARS-CoV-2. Our results reveal that, in common with SARS- and Middle East respiratory syndrome-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 infection is enhanced by TMPRSS2.