Fig. 5: Dysregulation of hepatocyte mitochondrial activity modulates ACE2 levels and increases susceptibility to infection.
From: The spike of SARS-CoV-2 promotes metabolic rewiring in hepatocytes
a Western blot showing the modulation of ACE2 and NRP1 protein expression when incubated with methionine-choline deficient (MCD) medium for 6 and 24 h (along with their respective controls. Quantification of ACE2 or NRP1 protein expression by densitometry is also shown (n = 3, unpaired t-test). b, c Western blot showing the expression of ACE2 and NRP1 protein expression when treated with 1 mM metformin for 6 or 24 h (n = 3, unpaired t-test) (b) or with MCD or MCD plus 1 mM metformin for 10 h (n = 3, one-way ANOVA) (c) as well as their respective controls. Relative quantification of ACE2 or NRP1 protein expression (related to β-actin) is also shown. d Relative infection with pseudotyped viral particles or controls of WT or hACE2 mouse hepatocytes (left) or upcyte second-generation human hepatocytes (right) upon treatment with MCD or MCD and metformin, measured by flow cytometry (one-way ANOVA). e Extracellular levels of ANG(1–7) secreted by human primary hepatocytes after infection with pseudotyped viral particles upon treatment with MCD or MCD and metformin, measured by ELISA (n = 5, one-way ANOVA). Error bars represent SEM and asterisks represent p values (*<0.05, **<0.01, and ***<0.001).
