Abstract
The angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as a receptor for the severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Here we show that ACE2 expression on cell lines correlates with susceptibility to SARS-CoV S-driven infection, suggesting that ACE2 is a major receptor for SARS-CoV. The soluble ectodomain of ACE2 specifically abrogated S-mediated infection and might therefore be exploited for the generation of inhibitors. Deletion of a major portion of the cytoplasmic domain of ACE2 had no effect on S-driven infection, indicating that this domain is not important for receptor function. Our results point to a central role of ACE2 in SARS-CoV infection and suggest a minor contribution of the cytoplasmic domain to receptor function.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
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Animals
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Antiviral Agents / chemistry
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Antiviral Agents / metabolism*
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Carboxypeptidases / chemistry
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Carboxypeptidases / genetics
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Carboxypeptidases / metabolism*
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Cell Line
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Disease Susceptibility
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Humans
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Mutation
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Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
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Protein Structure, Tertiary
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Receptors, Virus / metabolism*
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Sequence Alignment
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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / metabolism*
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / metabolism*
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / pathogenicity
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Solubility
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Viral Proteins / metabolism*
Substances
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Antiviral Agents
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Receptors, Virus
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Viral Proteins
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Carboxypeptidases
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Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
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ACE2 protein, human
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Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2