title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2: a functional receptor for SARS coronavirus.
abstract: Cellular entry of enveloped viruses is often dependent on attachment proteins expressed on the host cell surface. Viral envelope proteins bind these receptors, and, in an incompletely understood process, facilitate fusion of the cellular and viral membranes so as to introduce the viral core into the cytoplasm. Only a small fraction of viral receptors have been identified so far. Recently, a novel coronavirus was identified as the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The fusion protein gene of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) was cloned and characterized, and shortly thereafter, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was shown to be its functional receptor. Identification of ACE2 as a receptor for SARS-CoV will likely contribute to the development of antivirals and vaccines. It may also contribute to the development of additional animal models for studying SARS pathogenesis, and could help identify the animal reservoir of SARS-CoV.
authors.affiliation: Partners AIDS Research Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Medicine (Microbiology and Molecular Genetics), Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farzan
mesh_terms: D000085962:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; D000818:Animals; D002268:Carboxypeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; D011991:Receptors, Virus / Q000378:metabolism*; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000821:virology; D064370:Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011991:Receptors, Virus; D064370:Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C578557:spike glycoprotein, SARS-CoV; D002268:Carboxypeptidases; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; C000705307:ACE2 protein, human; D000085962:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2