Study finds SARS-CoV-2 infection is proportional to cell surface ACE2 levels

Even as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was unfolding, there was already evidence suggesting that the disease was zoonotic in origin. One theory that gained particular media attention was the likelihood of transmission from wild bats, potentially sold in the wet market in Wuhan, China. Since then, transmission to several other species has been seen, including mink and Syrian golden hamster, and many theorize the ability of the disease to spread to other non-human primates. Researchers from Oregon State University have developed a system to assess the ability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) orthologs. The study The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is essential to the disease’s pathogenicity. It is formed of two subunits, S1 and S2. S1 contains a receptor-binding domain (RBD) that binds to several receptors, primarily ACE2, to permit viral cell entry. The N-terminal domain in S2 is responsible for...