Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 1, 2025

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2
08:41

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2

Published on: November 5, 2021

3.1K

ACE2: The Major Cell Entry Receptor for SARS-CoV-2

Filippo Scialo1,2, Aurora Daniele3,2, Felice Amato4,2

  • 1Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Traslazionali, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.

Lung
|November 10, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is crucial for SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells. Understanding ACE2

Area of Science:

  • Virology and Molecular Biology
  • Immunology and Inflammation
  • Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has led to millions of infections and deaths globally.
  • Individual susceptibility to severe COVID-19 and mortality remains incompletely understood.
  • The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a key receptor for SARS-CoV-2 cell entry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the biological functions of ACE2, including its expression and regulation.
  • To investigate the role of soluble ACE2 in COVID-19 disease progression and its therapeutic potential.
  • To explore the impact of SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2 on the renin-angiotensin and kinin-kallikrein systems.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on ACE2 biology, SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms, and related physiological systems.
  • Analysis of the interplay between SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, and the renin-angiotensin system.
  • Discussion of ACE2's involvement in regulating bradykinin and its implications for coagulation and inflammation.

Main Results:

  • ACE2's expression and post-translational modifications influence SARS-CoV-2 cell entry.
  • Soluble ACE2 levels may correlate with COVID-19 severity and represent a therapeutic target.
  • SARS-CoV-2/ACE2 interaction disrupts the renin-angiotensin system and affects kinin-kallikrein pathways, impacting inflammation and coagulation.

Conclusions:

  • A comprehensive understanding of ACE2's multifaceted roles is essential for developing effective COVID-19 therapies and diagnostics.
  • Targeting ACE2 or its related pathways offers potential therapeutic strategies for managing COVID-19.
  • Further research into ACE2's regulation of coagulation and inflammation is critical for assessing SARS-CoV-2's systemic impact.
Keywords:
ACE2 receptorCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2

More Related Videos

Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting08:40

Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting

Published on: March 1, 2019

59.5K
Visualization of SARS-CoV-2 using Immuno RNA-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization05:23

Visualization of SARS-CoV-2 using Immuno RNA-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

Published on: December 23, 2020

6.4K

Related Concept Videos

Adherens Junctions01:24

Adherens Junctions

Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types –  adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as  epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as  heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
5.7K
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:39

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Overview
109.2K
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:20

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is when bulk amounts of specific molecules are imported into a cell after binding to cell surface receptors. The molecules bound to these receptors are taken into the cell through inward folding of the cell surface membrane, which is eventually pinched off into a vesicle within the cell. Structural proteins, such as clathrin, coat the budding vesicle.
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
7.2K
Antigen Presenting Cells01:22

Antigen Presenting Cells

The immune system is a complex network of cells and molecules that protects the body from foreign invaders. T cells, a type of white blood cell, play a crucial role in this process. They recognize and attack foreign substances, such as pathogens, that enter the body.
T cells require the help of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), which process foreign antigens into smaller fragments that can be recognized by T cells. These APCs are highly specialized cells that efficiently internalize antigens...
2.5K
Leaky Scanning02:28

Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R...
5.5K
Enzyme-linked Receptors01:00

Enzyme-linked Receptors

Enzyme-linked receptors are proteins that act as both receptor and enzyme, activating multiple intracellular signals. This is a large group of receptors that include the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family. Many growth factors and hormones bind to and activate the RTKs.
Neurotrophin (NT) receptors are a family of RTKs, including trkA, trkB, and trkC (tropomyosin-related kinase) receptors. TrkA is specific for nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-6, and neurotrophin-7. TrkB binds...
83.8K