ACE2 Is the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Required for Cell Entry

摘要

The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 is the receptor required for cellular entry of COVID-19, consistent with the epidemiologic risk for severe disease seen in patients with cardiovascular disease and hypertension in China. The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which shares high amino-acid sequence homology with the SARS coronavirus that emerged in 2002. The surface unit (S1) of the spike (S) protein of SARS engages the angiotensinconverting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the entry receptor and then uses the host serine protease TMPRSS2 for S priming, allowing fusion of viral and cellular membranes and viral entry into the cell. Researchers have now examined how the S protein from SARS-CoV-2 facilitates viral entry into target host cells and compare the process to that used by SARS.