A novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has created a global pandemic in 2020, posing an enormous challenge to healthcare systems and affected communities. COVID-19 is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoronaVirus-2 (CoV-2) that manifests as bronchitis, pneumonia, or a severe respiratory illness. SARS-CoV-2 infects human cells via binding a "spike" protein on its surface to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) within the host. ACE2 is crucial for maintaining tissue homeostasis and negatively regulates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in the humans. The RAAS is paramount for normal function in multiple organ systems including the lungs, heart, kidney, and vasculature. Given that SARS-CoV-2 internalizes via ACE2, the resultant disruption in ACE2 expression can lead to altered tissue function and exacerbate chronic diseases. The widespread distribution and expression of ACE2 across multiple organs is critical to our understanding of the varied clinical outcomes of COVID-19. This perspective review based on the current literature was prompted to show how disruption of ACE2 by SARS-CoV-2 can affect different organ systems.

中文翻译：

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SARS-CoV-2、ACE2 表达和全身器官侵袭

一种新型冠状病毒疾病 COVID-19 在 2020 年引发了全球大流行，对医疗保健系统和受影响的社区构成了巨大挑战。COVID-19 由严重急性呼吸系统综合症 (SARS)-冠状病毒-2 (CoV-2) 引起，表现为支气管炎、肺炎或严重的呼吸道疾病。SARS-CoV-2 通过将其表面的“尖峰”蛋白与宿主内的血管紧张素转换酶 2 (ACE2) 结合来感染人体细胞。ACE2 对维持组织稳态至关重要，并负调节人体的肾素-血管紧张素-醛固酮系统 (RAAS)。RAAS 对于包括肺、心脏、肾脏和脉管系统在内的多个器官系统的正常功能至关重要。鉴于 SARS-CoV-2 通过 ACE2 内化，由此产生的 ACE2 表达中断可能导致组织功能改变并加剧慢性疾病。ACE2 在多个器官中的广泛分布和表达对于我们了解 COVID-19 的不同临床结果至关重要。这篇基于当前文献的前瞻性综述旨在展示 SARS-CoV-2 对 ACE2 的破坏如何影响不同的器官系统。