The team of researchers, led by infection biologists from the German Primate Centre, and scientists from the Charité University Hospital Berlin, the Hannover Veterinary University Foundation, the BG-Unfallklinik Murnau, the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, the Robert Koch Institute and the German Centre for Infection Research, wanted to find out how the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells and how this process can be blocked.

For their investigations, the scientists used a large number of cell lines and primary cells and infected them with the virus. Afterwards, they investigated, among other things, the cell viability and the absorption mechanism of the viruses into the cells as well as the Sars-2 virus expression.

They identified a cellular protein that is important for the penetration of SARS-CoV-2 into cells. It is a protease called TMPRSS2, which has an important function in binding the virus to a cell receptor (ACE2) that enables the virus to enter the cell to multiply. This can ultimately lead to severe lung damage and multiple organ failure. Their findings have enabled scientists to find a starting point for combating the virus. Another approach might be the usage of soluble human ACE2 molecules which could bind the virus instead of the ACE2 receptors on the cell.

Original publication:
Markus Hoffmann, Hannah Kleine-Weber, Simon Schroeder, Nadine Krüger, Tanja Herrler, Sandra Erichsen, Tobias S. Schiergens, Georg Herrler, Nai-Huei Wu, Andreas Nitsche, Marcel A. Müller, Christian Drosten & Stefan Pöhlmann (2020). SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven Protease Inhibitor. Cell 181: April 1-10, 16, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.052

Source and further information:
https://www.bionity.com/de/news/1165290/vermehrung-von-sars-coronavirus-2-im-menschen-verhindern.html?pk_campaign=ca0264&WT.mc_id=ca0264
https://www.biomol.com/de/ressourcen/biomol-blog/ace2-der-sars-cov-2-rezeptor
https://www.deutsche-apotheker-zeitung.de/daz-az/2020/daz-11-2020/mit-loeslichem-ace2-gegen-covid-19egen-covid-19