Structural insights revealed by crystal structure of B38-CAP, an isoenzyme of carboxypeptidase ACE2, the receptor of SARS-CoV-2

The worldwide pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and further worsened by the emergence of a variety of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a carboxypeptidase of M32 family, serves as the receptor of SARS-CoV-2 and key regulator of host renin-angiotensin system (RAS), both of which are mainly mediated via the carboxypeptidase domain of ACE2 (sACE2) or its activity. sACE2 is thus promising in the treatment of COVID-19 but unfortunately weakened by its unstrigent substrate preference and complex interplay with host RAS. B38-CAP, an isoenzyme of ACE2, partically compensates these defects but still encounters the problem related to carboxypeptidase activity and specificity. In this study, we firstly determined the crystal structure of B38-CAP at a resolution of 2.44 Å which exists in dimeric form with the non-crystallographic two-fold axis being in coincidence with the crystallographic two-fold axis. Further structural analysis revealed the structural conservatism feature among M32 family, particularly the catalytic core and moreover lead us to hypothesize that conformational flexibility might play an pivotal role in the catalysis of B38-CAP and ACE2. The work provided here presents key features of the M32 family carboxypeptidase and provides structural basis for further development of B38-CAP-based anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.