ACE2 Antibody

This gene encodes a deduced 805-amino acid protein containing a potential 17-amino acid N-terminal signal peptide and a putative 22-amino acid C-terminal membrane anchor. It also possesses a zinc metalloprotease consensus sequence and a conserved glutamine residue that may function as a third zinc ligand. ACE2 is expressed predominantly in vascular endothelial cells of the heart and kidney. ACE converts angiotensin I to angiotensin II, ACE2 converts angiotensin I to angiotensin 1-9, which has 9 amino acids. Angiotensin II is a potent blood vessel constrictor, while angiotensin 1-9 does not impact blood vessels but is cleaved by ACE to a shorter peptide, angiotensin 1-7, which is a blood vessel dilator. Spike (S) proteins of coronaviruses, including the SARS coronavirus, bind with cellular receptors to mediate infection of target cells. ACE-2 binds the S1 domain of the SARS coronavirus S protein. SARS coronavirus replicates efficiently on ACE2-transfected but not mock-transfected 293T cells. Anti-ACE-2 but not anti-ACE1 antibody blocks viral replication on Vero E6 cells. It has been proposed that ACE2 is a functional receptor for SARS coronavirus.