A group from Milano University Medical School, Milano, Italy, etc. has reported a role of CD147 in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/6/1434
CD147 belongs to the Ig superfamily, and it is expressed in several tissues. CD147 has been reported to play an important role in HIV-1, HCV, HBV, and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infections. It is known that cyclophilin A (CyPA) partakes in target cells invasion by HIV-1 and SARS-CoV, as the ability of these viruses to infect host cells depends on the interaction between CD147 and CyPA. At the end of 2020, it was first reported that SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein interacts with the host cell receptor CD147.
Taking these background into consideration, authors investigated what really CD147 is doing in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The blocking Ab (α-CD147 Ab) or equivalent mouse IgG (as isotype control) did not impair SARS-CoV-2 infection ability, suggesting that CyPA binding to CD147 does not play a role in virus entry.
Silencing of CD147 using CD147 siRNA reduced viral entry into pulmonary cells via the reduction of the levels of expression of ACE2, suggesting that CD147 plays an important role in SARS-CoV-2 infection either directly or indirectly, by means of its ability to regulate ACE2 expression at the post-translational level.
