title: Lessons from SARS: control of acute lung failure by the SARS receptor ACE2.
abstract: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a second angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), regulates the renin-angiotensin system by counterbalancing ACE activity. Accumulating evidence in recent years has demonstrated a physiological and pathological role of ACE2 in the cardiovascular systems. Recently, it has been shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, the cause of SARS, utilizes ACE2 as an essential receptor for cell fusion and in vivo infections in mice. Intriguingly, ACE2 acts as a protective factor in various experimental models of acute lung failure and, therefore, acts not only as a key determinant for SARS virus entry into cells but also contributes to SARS pathogenesis. Here we review the role of ACE2 in disease pathogenesis, including lung diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohr-gasse 3, 1030, Vienna, Austria. Keiji.kuba@imba.oeaw.ac.at
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuba
authors.forename: Yumiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Shuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Chengyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Josef M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Penninger
mesh_terms: D000085962:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; C000705307:ACE2 protein, human; C000705328:Ace2 protein, mouse; D000085962:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2