Abstract
Coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the genus Betacoronavirus, and it is phylogenetically closely related to SARS-CoV, a human CoV that caused an outbreak back in 2002 to 2003. Both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV enter human cells via the interactions between viral crown-like spike protein and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Here, we aim to review the involvement of ACE2 in human CoV infections by discussing the roles of ACE2 in CoV evolution, cross-species transmissibility, and COVID-19 susceptibility. We also provide our perspectives on COVID-19 treatment and prevention.
Keywords: ACE2; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Publication types
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review
MeSH terms
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
- Animals
- Betacoronavirus / classification
- Betacoronavirus / genetics*
- Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity
- Biological Evolution
- COVID-19
- Chiroptera / virology
- Coronavirus Infections / physiopathology
- Coronavirus Infections / virology*
- Eutheria / virology
- Gene Expression Regulation
- Humans
- Pandemics
- Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / genetics*
- Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / metabolism
- Phylogeny
- Pneumonia, Viral / physiopathology
- Pneumonia, Viral / virology*
- Protein Binding
- Receptors, Virus / genetics*
- Receptors, Virus / metabolism
- SARS-CoV-2
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / physiopathology
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / virology
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / classification
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / genetics*
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / pathogenicity
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / genetics*
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / metabolism
- Virus Internalization
Substances
- Receptors, Virus
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
- Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
- ACE2 protein, human
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2