ACE2 and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: Increased ACE2 mRNA levels were observed in the ventricular myocardium from patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 11) or ischemic cardiomyopathy (n = 12) compared to healthy individuals (n = 9), and elevated ACE2 protein levels (IHC, anti-ACE2489) were found in explants from human ischemic hearts (Goulter et al., 2004; Burrell et al., 2005; Figure 1).