Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) Expression in the Aged Brain and Visual System.
James M. Hill, Christian Clément, Lisa Arceneaux, Walter J. Lukiw
Abstract
of a gradient of increasing ACE2 expression from the anterior surface of the eye to the visual signal processing areas of the occipital lobe and the primary visual neocortex. A gradient of ACE2 expression from the eye surface to the occipital lobe may provide the SARS-CoV-2 virus a novel pathway from the outer eye into deeper anatomical regions of the brain involved in vision. These findings may explain, in part, the many recently reported neuro-ophthalmic manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in COVID-19 affected patients.
Topics & Concepts
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2ReceptorHuman brainCell typeBiologyNeuroscienceCellTranscriptomeReceptor expressionCell biologyMedicineGene expressionPathologyGeneCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)GeneticsDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)Retinal and Optic ConditionsSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchLong-Term Effects of COVID-19