Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 31, 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

3.0K

Role of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 variations in COVID-19

Priya Antony1, Ranjit Vijayan1

  • 1Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, PO Box 15551, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Biomedical Journal
|July 1, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Investigating genetic variations in SARS-CoV-2 and human ACE2 is crucial for understanding COVID-19. This review explores viral mutations and ACE2 gene changes to aid in developing effective treatments and prevention strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Virology and Genetics
  • Epidemiology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, represents a global health crisis with millions of deaths.
  • SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated significant mutation and adaptation capabilities since its emergence.
  • Understanding genetic variations is key to addressing the pandemic's impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing literature on genetic variations in SARS-CoV-2 and human ACE2.
  • To analyze the impact of these variations on COVID-19 transmission, virulence, and pathogenicity.
  • To explore how ACE2 variations might influence individual susceptibility or resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of scientific publications on SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 genetic variations.
  • Analysis of reported data on viral evolution and genetic changes.
  • Synthesis of information regarding the functional implications of these variations.

Main Results:

  • SARS-CoV-2 exhibits ongoing evolution with identified genetic variations affecting its characteristics.
  • Human ACE2 variations can potentially alter cellular entry mechanisms for SARS-CoV-2.
  • The interplay between viral and host genetic factors influences COVID-19 outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • A comprehensive understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 genetic diversity is essential for combating COVID-19.
  • Knowledge of these variations can guide the development of targeted therapeutics and preventive measures.
  • Further research into genetic factors is critical for future pandemic preparedness.

Keywords:
ACE2COVID-19SARS-CoV-2Spike proteinVariations

More Related Videos

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

6.3K
Production of a SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like-Particle System to Investigate Viral Life Cycles In Vitro09:26

Production of a SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like-Particle System to Investigate Viral Life Cycles In Vitro

Published on: June 6, 2025

791

Related Concept Videos

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs01:05

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs

A single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP is a single nucleotide variation at a specific genomic position in a large population. It is the most prevalent type of sequence variation found in the human genome. Point mutations that occur in more than 1% of the population qualify as SNPs. These are present once every 1000 nucleotides on an average in the human genome. Replacement of a purine with another purine (A/G) or a pyrimidine with another pyrimidine (C/T) is known as a transition. In contrast,...
17.1K
Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
36.4K
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
5.6K
Viruses with RNA Genomes01:29

Viruses with RNA Genomes

RNA viruses are categorized into positive-strand, negative-strand, or double-stranded groups based on their genomic structure and replication mechanisms. This classification dictates how they exploit host cellular machinery for protein synthesis and replication. Some RNA viruses also utilize reverse transcription as part of their life cycle, further diversifying their replication strategies.Positive-Strand RNA VirusesPositive-strand RNA viruses have genomes that function directly as messenger...
278
Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
24.1K
Conjugated Proteins02:50

Conjugated Proteins

Simple proteins and protein complexes contain only amino acids. In contrast, many other proteins, called conjugated proteins, covalently bond with non-protein moieties.
Nucleoproteins are protein complexes that contain nucleic acids, categorized as deoxyribonucleoproteins (DNPs) or ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) respectively. The nucleosome is a typical example of a DNP where nuclear DNA is associated with histone proteins. The major antigen for the Covid-19 virus SARS-CoV is an RNP that is critical...
22.0K