Expression of feline angiotensin converting enzyme 2 and its interaction with SARS-CoV S1 protein

Feline angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (fACE2) gene was amplified from domestic cat lung with RT-PCR, cloned and sequenced. The complete coding region is 2418 bp in length and is the closest to human ACE2 among known ACE2 homologs of non-primate animals. The N terminal fragment 19– 367 aa was expressed in Escherishia coli. Both Western blotting and ELISA demonstrated that fACE2 could react with SARS-CoV S1 protein as efficiently as ACE2 of Vero E6 cells did.