Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35915083›Full record

ArticleSignal transduction and targeted therapy2022

APOE interacts with ACE2 inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry and inflammation in COVID-19 patients.

Hongsheng Zhang, Lin Shao, Zhihao Lin, Quan-Xin Long, Huilong Yuan, Lujian Cai, Guangtong Jiang, Xiaoyi Guo, Renzhi Yang, Zepeng Zhang and 9 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Signal transduction and targeted therapy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
7.2field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 64 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. The physiological effects of APOE genotype in healthy young/middle-aged individuals.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. ACE2: Friend or Foe in Post-COVID-19 Neurodegeneration?International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Review
  18. Pathogenic mechanisms of cardiovascular damage in COVID-19.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2024
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Hongsheng Zhang *Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Lin Shao *School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Zhihao Lin *School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Quan-Xin Long *Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1857-2798
Huilong Yuan *School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Lujian CaiSchool of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Guangtong JiangSchool of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Xiaoyi GuoSchool of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Renzhi YangInstitute for Brain Science and Disease, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Zepeng ZhangCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Bingchang ZhangCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Fan LiuCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Zhiyong LiCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Qilin MaCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Yun-Wu ZhangCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Ai-Long HuangKey Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China. ahuang@cqmu.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0003-0148-7423
Zhanxiang WangCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China. wangzx@xmu.edu.cn.
Yingjun ZhaoCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China. yjzhao@xmu.edu.cn.
Huaxi XuCenter for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China. hxxu@xmu.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0001-7031-7853
First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University · CNXiamen University · CNChongqing Medical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) plays a pivotal role in lipid including cholesterol metabolism. The APOE ε4 (APOE4) allele is a major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. Although APOE has recently been associated with increased susceptibility to infections of several viruses, whether and how APOE and its isoforms affect SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unclear. Here, we show that serum concentrations of APOE correlate inversely with levels of cytokine/chemokine in 73 COVID-19 patients. Utilizing multiple protein interaction assays, we demonstrate that APOE3 and APOE4 interact with the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2; and APOE/ACE2 interactions require zinc metallopeptidase domain of ACE2, a key docking site for SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. In addition, immuno-imaging assays using confocal, super-resolution, and transmission electron microscopies reveal that both APOE3 and APOE4 reduce ACE2/Spike-mediated viral entry into cells. Interestingly, while having a comparable binding affinity to ACE2, APOE4 inhibits viral entry to a lesser extent compared to APOE3, which is likely due to APOE4's more compact structure and smaller spatial obstacle to compete against Spike binding to ACE2. Furthermore, APOE ε4 carriers clinically correlate with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection and elevated serum inflammatory factors in 142 COVID-19 patients assessed. Our study suggests a regulatory mechanism underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection through APOE interactions with ACE2, which may explain in part increased COVID-19 infection and disease severity in APOE ε4 carriers.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2Apolipoprotein E3Apolipoprotein E4Apolipoproteins EBinding SitesHumansInflammationProtein BindingSpike Glycoprotein, CoronavirusACE2 protein, humanAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2Apolipoprotein E3Apolipoprotein E4Apolipoproteins ESpike Glycoprotein, Coronavirusspike protein, SARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID35915083
PMCPMC9340718
OpenAlexW4289169653

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.