Scientists have known for more than three years that the main entry point for the SARS-CoV-2 virus into the body is the ACE2 receptor. A team in Italy has now identified another receptor, called RAGE, present on the surface of certain human immune cells, which can bind to SARS-CoV-2 and allow it to enter cells, altering their function and leading to a worse prognosis.
The research1 is a collaboration between Antonella Viola’s group at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Padua, researchers from the Human Technopole group coordinated by Giuseppe Testa, the European Institute of Oncology and the University of Milan.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been studying the coronavirus using single-cell multiomics, which means mapping the genes of immune cells, cell by cell, to understand how the virus works,” explains Giuseppe Testa, corresponding author of the study at the University of Milan, and head of neurogenomics at Human Technopole.
Cristina Da Rold 