Essential counter-regulatory carboxypeptidase of the renin-angiotensin hormone system that is a critical regulator of blood volume, systemic vascular resistance, and thus cardiovascular homeostasis . Converts angiotensin I to angiotensin 1-9, a nine-amino acid peptide with anti-hypertrophic effects in cardiomyocytes, and angiotensin II to angiotensin 1-7, which then acts as a beneficial vasodilator and anti-proliferation agent, counterbalancing the actions of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II (  ). Also removes the C-terminal residue from three other vasoactive peptides, neurotensin, kinetensin, and des-Arg bradykinin, but is not active on bradykinin (, ). Also cleaves other biological peptides, such as apelins (apelin-13, [Pyr1]apelin-13, apelin-17, apelin-36), casomorphins (beta-casomorphin-7, neocasomorphin) and dynorphin A with high efficiency ( ). In addition, ACE2 C-terminus is homologous to collectrin and is responsible for the trafficking of the neutral amino acid transporter SL6A19 to the plasma membrane of gut epithelial cells via direct interaction, regulating its expression on the cell surface and its catalytic activity (, ).
(Microbial infection) Acts as a receptor for human coronaviruses SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, as well as human coronavirus NL63/HCoV-NL63.
Non-functional as a carboxypeptidase.
(Microbial infection) Non-functional as a receptor for human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Subcellular locations: Secreted
Subcellular locations: Cell membrane, Cytoplasm, Cell projection, Cilium, Apical cell membrane
Detected in both cell membrane and cytoplasm in neurons.
Subcellular locations: Apical cell membrane
Expressed in endothelial cells from small and large arteries, and in arterial smooth muscle cells (at protein level) . Expressed in enterocytes of the small intestine, Leydig cells and Sertoli cells (at protein level) . Expressed in the renal proximal tubule and the small intestine (at protein level) . Expressed in heart, kidney, testis, and gastrointestinal system (at protein level) (   ). In lung, expressed at low levels in some alveolar type 2 cells, the expression seems to be individual-specific (at protein level) (  ). Expressed in nasal epithelial cells (at protein level) (, ). Coexpressed with TMPRSS2 within some lung alveolar type 2 cells, ileal absorptive enterocytes, intestinal epithelial cells, cornea, gallbladder and nasal goblet secretory cells ( ). Coexpressed with TMPRSS4 within mature enterocytes .
Expressed in nasal and bronchial epithelial cells (at protein level).