Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) antibody

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a zinc containing metalloenzyme located on the surface of endothelial and other cells in the lungs, arteries, heart, kidney, and intestines. The primary function of ACE2 is to offset activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). ACE cleaves angiotensin I into the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II. ACE2 in turn cleaves angiotensin II into the vasodilator angiotensin 1–7. In addition, ACE2 is the main entry point into cells for some coronaviruses including HCoV-NL63, SARS-CoV (the coronavirus that causes SARS) and SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID-19). More precisely, the binding of the spike S1 protein of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV2 to the enzymatic domain of ACE2 on the surface of cells results in endocytosis and translocation of both the virus and the enzyme into endosomes located within cells.