Article Synopsis
- Recent clinical evidence shows SARS-CoV-2 can affect the central nervous system (CNS), but the exact mechanisms aren't fully understood.
- Pericyte-like cells (PLCs) can be infected with SARS-CoV-2 when included in cortical organoids, unlike traditional organoids which showed little infection.
- PLCs act as 'replication hubs' for the virus, leading to an inflammatory response in astrocytes, indicating that PLC-containing cortical organoids (PCCOs) could effectively model neural infection from SARS-CoV-2.
Video Abstracts
Category Ranking
98%
Total Visits
921
Avg Visit Duration
2 minutes
Citations
20
Article Abstract
Clinical evidence suggests the central nervous system (CNS) is frequently impacted by SARS-CoV-2 infection, either directly or indirectly, although mechanisms remain unclear. Pericytes are perivascular cells within the brain that are proposed as SARS-CoV-2 infection points . Here we show that pericyte-like cells (PLCs), when integrated into a cortical organoid, are capable of infection with authentic SARS-CoV-2. Prior to infection, PLCs elicited astrocytic maturation and production of basement membrane components, features attributed to pericyte functions in vivo. While traditional cortical organoids showed little evidence of infection, PLCs within cortical organoids served as viral 'replication hubs', with virus spreading to astrocytes and mediating inflammatory type I interferon transcriptional responses. Therefore, PLC-containing cortical organoids (PCCOs) represent a new 'assembloid' model that supports SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication in neural tissue, and PCCOs serve as an experimental model for neural infection.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7885921 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.09.430349 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Evaluating the Implementation of Online Postal Self-Sampling for Sexually Transmitted Infections in England: Multisite Qualitative Study.
J Med Internet Res
September 2025
University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Background: Online postal self-sampling (OPSS) allows service users to screen for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by ordering a self-sampling kit online, taking their own samples, returning them to a laboratory for testing, and receiving their results remotely. OPSS availability and use has increased in both the United Kingdom and globally the past decade but has been adopted in different regions of England at different times, with different models of delivery. It is not known why certain models were decided on or how implementation strategies have influenced outcomes, including the sustainability of OPSS in sexual health service delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnswer to the Comments of H. Daungsupawong et al. About the Study Entitled Persistence of a High Seroconversion Rate 3.2 ± 0.13 Years After Last COVID-19 Vaccination in Heart Transplant Recipients.
Clin Transplant
September 2025
Cardiac Transplant Unit, La Timone Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France.
Predictors of health care utilization in patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).
PLoS One
September 2025
The Permanente Medical Group, Pleasanton, California, United States of America.
Background: Research on Post-acute sequelae of COVID (PASC) has focused on the prevalence of symptoms, leaving gaps in our understanding of predictors of health care seeking.
Objective: To identify clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with PASC care seeking.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients with COVID-19 diagnosis between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 in a community-based comprehensive health care delivery system at 21 hospitals and medical clinics in Northern California.
Factors associated with prolonged hospitalizations for COVID-19 during the first three waves of the pandemic: Evidence from a Southeastern State of Brazil.
PLoS One
September 2025
Graduate Program in Public Health - PPGSC/UFES, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
A comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the epidemiological dynamics of COVID-19 across the pandemic waves-particularly in terms of disease severity and mortality-is critical for optimizing healthcare services and prioritizing high-risk populations. Here we aim to analyze the factors associated with short-term and prolonged hospitalization for COVID-19 during the first three pandemic waves. We conducted a retrospective observational study using data from individuals reported in the e-SUS-VS system who were hospitalized for COVID-19 in a state in a southeast state of Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Association Between Obesity and COVID-19 Severity in Children Differed Between SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Multicountry Hospital-Based Observational Study.
Pediatr Infect Dis J
September 2025
From the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Background: Obesity was a risk factor for severe COVID-19 in children during early outbreaks of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant. However, the relationship between obesity and COVID-19 severity during the Omicron wave remains unclear.
Methods: This multicenter, observational study included polymerase chain r eaction-confirmed SARS-CoV-2-infected children and adolescents from Australia, Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States hospitalized between January 1, 2020, and March 31, 2022.