The emergence of novel coronavirus pneumonia which was named as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has posed a serious threat to public health. Notably, COVID-19 has rapidly spread around the world and large amount of people have been infected. There is imminent need to investigate the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and develop effective therapeutic strategies to contain the epidemic. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 mediates viral entry into target cells, with S1 subunit binding to a cellular receptor and S2 subunit fusing viral and host membranes. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), previously known as a cell receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), is putatively responsible for mediating COVID-19. In this review, we detail our current understanding of the interaction between S protein and ACE2 in the process of virus infection and the potential pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, which has critical implications for exploring the potential therapeutic strategies for COVID-19.
由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2，SARS-CoV-2)引起的、被世界卫生组织命名为2019冠状病毒病(coronavirus disease 2019，COVID-19)的出现，对公众健康构成了严重威胁。值得注意的是，COVID-19在全球范围内迅速传播，全球累计确诊病例已超500万例。目前迫切需要研究SARS-CoV-2的致病机制，并制订有效的治疗策略来控制疫情。SARS-CoV-2的刺突(S)蛋白介导病毒进入靶细胞，其中S1亚基与细胞受体结合，S2亚基介导病毒和宿主膜融合。血管紧张素转化酶2(angiotensin-converting enzyme 2，ACE2)是严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus，SARS-CoV)的细胞受体，现被认为也介导COVID-19。本篇综述详细介绍目前学界对S蛋白与ACE2在病毒感染过程中的相互作用，以及SARS-CoV-2的潜在致病机制的理解，对探究SARS-CoV-2的治疗策略具有重要意义。.
Keywords: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; pathogenesis; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; spike protein.