[Reports] SARS-CoV-2 infection of human iPSC-derived cardiac cells reflects cytopathic features in hearts of patients with COVID-19

Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes cardiac dysfunction in up to 25% of patients, its pathogenesis remains unclear. Exposure of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–derived heart cells to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) revealed productive infection and robust transcriptomic and morphological signatures of damage, particularly in cardiomyocytes. Transcriptomic disruption of structural genes corroborates adverse morphologic features, which included a distinct pattern of myofibrillar fragmentation and nuclear disruption. Human autopsy specimens from patients with COVID-19 reflected similar alterations, particularly sarcomeric fragmentation. These notable cytopathic features in cardiomyocytes provide insights into SARS-CoV-2–induced cardiac damage, offer a platform for discovery of potential therapeutics, and raise concerns about the long-term consequences of COVID-19 in asymptomatic and severe cases.

Source: Science Translational Medicine - April 21, 2021 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Perez-Bermejo, J. A., Kang, S., Rockwood, S. J., Simoneau, C. R., Joy, D. A., Silva, A. C., Ramadoss, G. N., Flanigan, W. R., Fozouni, P., Li, H., Chen, P.-Y., Nakamura, K., Whitman, J. D., Hanson, P. J., McManus, B. M., Ott, M., Conklin, B. R., McDevitt, Tags: Reports Source Type: research