This study investigates the response to cytokine stimulation in human and mouse basal epithelial cells. Basal cells from two human donors obtained via surgical resections of the ethmoid sinus, cells from the BEAS-2B human basal cell line, and basal cells from a mouse trachea were cultured and exposed to cytokines for 12 hours at increasing doses. Cytokines IL4, IL17a, IFNgamma, IFNαlpha, IFNbeta were included in this study. Samples were sequenced using bulk RNA sequencing.

Differential expression analysis between IFN-treated and untreated cells in each cell source reveals a dose dependent upregulation of canonical ISGs. ACE2, the receptor to which the SARS-Cov-2 virus binds, is induced following IFNαlpha stimulation in primary human basal cells, diminished in BEAS-2B cells, and not seen in mouse cells.

NOTE: This study represents samples from bulk RNA sequencing, not single cell RNA-Seq.

Summary of this data to evaluate expression of COVID-19 receptor ACE2 and protease TMPRSS2 are described here: http://shaleklab.com/resource/covid-19-resources/