Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Antihypertensive Drugs: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors

Antihypertensive Drugs: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a vital component of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, is abundant in lung endothelial cells. ACE converts the inactive decapeptide, angiotensin I, into the active octapeptide, angiotensin II. This potent vasoconstrictor narrows blood vessels, increasing resistance to blood flow and elevating blood pressure. Angiotensin II also stimulates aldosterone production, encouraging kidney cells to reabsorb more sodium and water from urine, thereby increasing...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Distinct energetic blueprints diversify function of conserved protein folds.

Nature chemistry·2026

Same author

Targeted extracellular degradation of LRP8 promotes ferroptosis in cancer cells.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Proteolysis activity mapping and substrate discovery platform for identifying tumor-activated biosensors.

Nature chemical biology·2026

Same author

A Hybrid Physics-Deep Learning Framework for Combinatorial De Novo Design of Small-Molecule Binding Proteins.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Multivalent recognition of ferritin by full-length NCOA4 enables robust ferritinophagy.

Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society·2026

Same author

Selective depletion of virus-specific CD8 T cells from the liver after PD-1 therapy with Fc-intact antibody during chronic infection.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 4, 2025

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance

Published on: June 14, 2022

Engineered ACE2 receptor traps potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2.

Anum Glasgow¹, Jeff Glasgow², Daniel Limonta^3,4

¹Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|October 23, 2020

Summary

Researchers engineered a soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) decoy receptor that potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by blocking viral spike protein binding. This engineered ACE2 variant offers a promising therapeutic strategy against SARS-CoV-2 and other ACE2-using coronaviruses.

Keywords:

SARS-CoV-2 antiviral therapeutics computational design receptor trap yeast display

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Advancing Antiviral Strategies Through Novel Immunocapture and Mass Spectrometry Techniques

Author Spotlight: Advancing Antiviral Strategies Through Novel Immunocapture and Mass Spectrometry Techniques

Published on: January 12, 2024

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies using High-Throughput Fluorescent Imaging of Pseudovirus Infection

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies using High-Throughput Fluorescent Imaging of Pseudovirus Infection

Published on: June 5, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 4, 2025

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance

Published on: June 14, 2022

Author Spotlight: Advancing Antiviral Strategies Through Novel Immunocapture and Mass Spectrometry Techniques

Author Spotlight: Advancing Antiviral Strategies Through Novel Immunocapture and Mass Spectrometry Techniques

Published on: January 12, 2024

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies using High-Throughput Fluorescent Imaging of Pseudovirus Infection

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies using High-Throughput Fluorescent Imaging of Pseudovirus Infection

Published on: June 5, 2021

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Virology
Protein Engineering

Background:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) entry into host cells relies on the interaction between the viral spike protein and the human angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptor.
Developing effective countermeasures against SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for global health.

Purpose of the Study:

To engineer optimized, enzymatically inactivated ACE2 variants that act as potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
To create high-affinity receptor traps that bind the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein's receptor binding domain (RBD).

Main Methods:

Computational design of the ACE2-RBD interface using a two-stage flexible protein backbone approach.
Affinity maturation through random mutagenesis and yeast surface display selection.
Fusion of engineered ACE2 variants with collectrin and Fc domains to enhance stability and avidity.

Main Results:

Computational design improved ACE2-RBD binding affinity by up to 12-fold.
Further affinity maturation yielded a variant with 170-fold higher binding affinity to the RBD compared to wild-type ACE2.
Engineered ACE2 receptor traps demonstrated potent neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 with IC50s in the 10-100 ng/mL range.

Conclusions:

Engineered ACE2 receptor traps are a promising therapeutic strategy against SARS-CoV-2 and other ACE2-utilizing coronaviruses.
This approach offers a rapid response capability for future viral threats by predesigning receptor traps.
Viral resistance to these traps would likely also impede viral entry, enhancing their therapeutic potential.