Research progress on angiotensin converting enzyme 2 as the receptor of SARS-CoV -2

ABSTRACT

There have been nearly '80,000 cases in the world since the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia. With the study on viral structure and infection mechanism, researchers have found that angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the receptor of SARS-CoV-2. According to previous studies, ACE2 is one of the key enzymes in the RAS system. It plays a regulatory role with its homologue, namely ACE. The physiological function can be found in angiocarpy, kidney, liver, intestine and so on. The outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia makes people eager to know the viral source, intermediate host, epidemiological analysis and therapeutic targets. Then ACE2 becomes a research hotspot. In this review, we discuss the research advance of ACE2 in SARS - Coy - 2 and cardiovascular diseases to provide references for tracing, MSS species transmission, epidemiological analysis and antiviral treatment of SARS-CoV-2.