Key Targets for COVID-19 Research

Mar 11, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken hold of our lives for nearly an entire year, and although we now have vaccines being distributed, there is still a lot we don’t know. SARS-CoV-2 research is ongoing, and likely to continue for many years to come. Many different biomarkers have shown promise for diagnosing and predicting the prognosis or outcome of infection by SARS-CoV-2. Our featured products for March 2021 are three such biomarkers, angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), interleukin 6 (IL6) and C reactive protein (CRP).

ACE2 is an angiotensin-converting enzyme responsible for the breakdown of Angiotensins I and II, has an important role negatively regulating the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), and has been shown to facilitate viral transmission of SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of COVID-19.^1,2,3 Recent studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 gains entry into cells expressing ACE2, but not cells expressing other coronavirus receptors, or cells that do not express ACE2.³ The mechanism for infection with SARS-CoV-2 involves the spike glycoprotein on the surface of the virus binding to the ACE2 receptor, allowing for viral RNA to be released into the cell, initiating infection.⁴ ACE2 is highly expressed in alveolar epithelial cells, indicating that the lungs are typically where the initial infection occurs in humans.⁵ After initial infection, the virus often spreads to other areas of the body with high levels of ACE2 through blood circulation, often resulting in multi-organ injury.⁶

IL6 is a cytokine involved in inflammation and maturation of B cells, mainly found at the site of inflammation, from where it induces an inflammatory response.⁷ As COVID-19 can often result in cytokine release syndrome, or a ‘cytokine storm’, IL6 has been found at elevated levels in patients with COVID-19.⁸^,9 IL6, along with other cytokines including TNFa, IP10, MCP1, CCL3, IL2, IL2R, and IL7, have been seen to increase in more severe cases of COVID-19.¹⁰ IL6 and IL2R in particular increase according to the severity of the case, and IL6 levels are high among non-survivors.¹⁰ Another study showed that IL6 levels in serum could help to determine the severity of COVID-19 cases and predict the outcome for patients.¹¹

CRP is a cytokine involved in the activation and amplification of the complement system.¹² As CRP is often elevated as a result of inflammation, it is also often found at high levels in patients with COVID-19.^9,10,11Similar to IL6, CRP is found at high levels in patients with severe cases and poor prognosis of COVID-19 infection.^8,10,11CRP especially could be useful as an early predictor of severe COVID-19, as CRP levels are not typically high during viral infections.¹³

To elevate your research on COVID-19 and associated biomarkers, check out our Human ACE2, IL6, and CRP ELISA kits and related antibodies:

Human Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme 2 (RDR-ACE2-Hu)

Detection Range: 15.625-1000pg/mL

Sensitivity: 7.7pg/mL

Human Interleukin 6 ELISA Kit (RDR-IL6-Hu)

Detection Range: 7.812-500pg/mL

Sensitivity: 3.11pg/mL

Human C reactive protein ELISA Kit (RDR-CRP-Hu)

Detection range: 0.156-10ng/mL

Sensitivity: 0.057ng/mL

Related Antibody Products:

Rabbit anti-Human ACE2 Polyclonal Antibody