ACE2 mouse models: a toolbox for cardiovascular and pulmonary research

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 5165
• Main Authors: Jia, Hongpeng, Yue, Xinping, Lazartigues, Eric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 14.10.2020; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/250/254; 631/250/255/2514; 631/61/17/1511; 692/308/1426; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Betacoronavirus - physiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - metabolism; Cardiovascular Diseases - pathology; Coronavirus Infections - metabolism; Coronavirus Infections - pathology; Coronavirus Infections - virology; COVID-19; Disease Models, Animal; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Lung Diseases - metabolism; Lung Diseases - pathology; Metabolic Diseases - metabolism; Metabolic Diseases - pathology; Mice; Mice, Mutant Strains; multidisciplinary; Pandemics; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A - genetics; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A - metabolism; Pneumonia, Viral - metabolism; Pneumonia, Viral - pathology; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Review; Review Article; SARS-CoV-2; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18880-0

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as the host entry receptor for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. ACE2 is a regulatory enzyme of the renin-angiotensin system and has protective functions in many cardiovascular, pulmonary and metabolic diseases. This review summarizes available murine models with systemic or organ-specific deletion of ACE2, or with overexpression of murine or human ACE2. The purpose of this review is to provide researchers with the genetic tools available for further understanding of ACE2 biology and for the investigation of ACE2 in the pathogenesis and treatment of COVID-19. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a cell surface enzyme previously shown to mediate SARS-CoV, and now SARS-CoV-2, entry into host cells. Here the authors review existing mouse ACE2 models expressing humanized, transgenic, knockout, knockin, conditional and reporter alleles to provide a toolbox for COVID-19 research.