ACE2 and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: High integral viral load induced by the local up-regulation of ACE2
Expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is the functional receptor that SARS-CoV/CoV-2 exploits to enter host cells, is strongly upregulated in different tissues of patients with obesity and T2D. This can lead to a high integral viral load of these tissues.