POTENCY OF RECOMBINANT SOLUBLE ANGIOTENSINCONVERTING-ENZYME 2 (sACE2) FOR COVID 19 THERAPY
Sayu Putu Yuni Paryati (a*), Khomaini Hasan (b), Hidayatul Rachman (c), Ike Hikmawati (d), Ris Kristiana (e)

a) Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia
* yuni.paryati[at]lecture.unjani.ac.id
b) Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia
c) Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia
d) Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia
e) Department of Pathology and Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since it was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 cases have received great attention due to its high level of infectivity. The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the host cell by binding to the Angiotensinconverting-Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor which is widely expressed in the lower respiratory tract. The ACE2 enzyme bound to the host cell membrane functions as a SARS-CoV-2 receptor, allowing virus entry into the host cell by binding to the S1 domain of the viral glycoprotein S. ACE2 also exists in the circulating soluble form (sACE2), and is usually present in plasma at low concentrations. This sACE2 enzyme also has the ability to bind to the S1 glycoprotein domain, but due to its soluble nature, the SARS-CoV-2 virus will not enter the host cell. This study aims to prepare and conduct a study on anti-protein S-based therapy, in particular the potential of sACE2 as a candidate for COVID-19 therapy. At the previous studies, the design, optimization, and synthesis of the ACE-2 gene have been developed, and in this study, a study of the potential of recombinant sACE2 was carried out by looking at the ability of sACE2 gene expression in selected superior Escherichia coli hosts. The results of culture of sACE2 in E. coli indicated that sACE2 was well expressed and showed the same characterization results as native sACE2 with a molecular weight of about 11.62 kDa. Thus, it is hoped that sACE2 has the potential to be produced in large quantities and can be used as a candidate for COVID-19 therapy. As a follow-up, it is necessary to conduct research to determine the potency of sACE2 in vitro and in vivo.

Keywords: Angiotensinconverting-Enzyme 2, sACE2, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2

Topic: COVID-19