ArticleScientific reports2021
No evidence for basigin/CD147 as a direct SARS-CoV-2 spike binding receptor.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 138 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
138 citing papers in PubMed, 199 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Article
- Human keratinocytes exhibit limited potential for SARS-CoV-2 infection despite ACE2 and mature cathepsin L expression.JID innovations : skin science from molecules to population health · 2026Article
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- Myocardial and Vascular Involvement in COVID-19 and Post-Vaccination States: Understanding Injury Pathways and Clinical Implications.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Host cell entry receptors as pharmacological targets in respiratory viral infections: from biology to clinical translation.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Resistance of endothelial cells to SARS-CoV-2 infectionJournal of virology · 2025Article
- From zoonotic spillover to endemicity: the broad determinants of human coronavirus tropism.mBio · 2025Review
- Molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 entry: implications for biomedical strategies.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2025Review
- SARS-CoV-2 spike protein: structure, viral entry and variants.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2025Review
- Defining diverse spike-receptor interactions involved in SARS-CoV-2 entry: Mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities.Virology · 2025Review
- Receptor Binding for the Entry Mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2: Insights from the Original Strain and Emerging Variants.Viruses · 2025Review
- Role of toll-like receptors in post-COVID-19 associated neurodegenerative disorders?Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Cyclophilin-CD147 interaction enables SARS-CoV-2 infection of human monocytes and their activation via Toll-like receptors 7 and 8.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- The Functions of SARS-CoV-2 Receptors in Diabetes-Related Severe COVID-19.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Potential Effects of Hyperglycemia on SARS-CoV-2 Entry Mechanisms in Pancreatic Beta Cells.Viruses · 2024Review
- SARS-CoV-2-associated lymphopenia: possible mechanisms and the role of CD147.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2024Review
- Review
- Article
- Review
78 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is known to enable viral invasion into human cells through direct binding to host receptors including ACE2. An alternate entry receptor for the virus was recently proposed to be basigin/CD147. These early studies have already prompted a clinical trial and multiple published hypotheses speculating on the role of this host receptor in viral infection and pathogenesis. Here, we report that we are unable to find evidence supporting the role of basigin as a putative spike binding receptor. Recombinant forms of the SARS-CoV-2 spike do not interact with basigin expressed on the surface of human cells, and by using specialized assays tailored to detect receptor interactions as weak or weaker than the proposed basigin-spike binding, we report no evidence for a direct interaction between the viral spike protein to either of the two common isoforms of basigin. Finally, removing basigin from the surface of human lung epithelial cells by CRISPR/Cas9 results in no change in their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Given the pressing need for clarity on which viral targets may lead to promising therapeutics, we present these findings to allow more informed decisions about the translational relevance of this putative mechanism in the race to understand and treat COVID-19.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.