The SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein disrupts human cardiac pericytes function through CD147 receptor-mediated signalling: a potential non-infective mechanism of COVID-19 microvascular disease.

"Competing Interests The authors declare that there are no competing interests associated with the manuscript."

"Funding This work was supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) project grant ‘Targeting the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein binding to the ACE2 receptor to preserve human cardiac pericytes function in COVID-19’ [grant number PG/20/10285 (to Paolo Madeddu, Elisa Avolio, Massimo Caputo)]; the BHF Centre for Regenerative Medicine Award (II) – ‘Centre for Vascular Regeneration’ [grant number RM/17/3/33381 (to Paolo Madeddu (co-lead of WP3)]; the Welcome Trust Elizabeth Blackwell Institute (EBI) Rapid Response COVID-19 awards ‘COVID-19 S-protein binding to ACE2 negatively impacts on human cardiac pericyte function – a mechanism potentially involved in cardiac and systemic microvascular failure’ (to Paolo Madeddu); the ‘Diagnostic and Severity Markers of COVID-19 to Enable Rapid triage (DISCOVER) study’ (to Fergus Hamilton); The DISCOVER study was also funded by Southmead Hospital Charity; and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol."