SARS-CoV-2 Receptor and Renin-Angiotensin System Regulation: Impact of Genetics Variants in ACE2 Gene Impact of Genetics Variants in the ACE2 Gene in the Functional Receptor of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The ACE2 has a physiological role in the regulation of the Renin-Angiotensin System. It is also described your function as a receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. Genetic variants in ACE2 are associated with cardiovascular diseases in different human populations and drug response. There is no direct evidence that mutations in ACE2 confer resistance to coronavirus spike protein binding. The evolutionary relationship between spike protein binding and ACE2 is complex. Significant genetic variants are present in ACE2, meanwhile, the evolutionary time of contact of the human ACE2 to the virus is short and, therefore, it did not suffer sufficient selective pressures to offer resistance to viral spike protein binding at the population level. More efforts are needed to identify genetic variants in human ACE2 and other genes, and, consequently, conducting case-control studies to validate these variants and their possible association with infection rates by SARS-CoV-2 and/or clinical outcome.