The Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, a component of the renin and angiotensin system, is the primary receptor for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infection and is highly expressed on type 2 pnuemocytes and epithelial cells of the intestine and kidney, helping to explain the predilection for extrapulmonary symptoms such as diarrhoea and acute kidney injury in infected individuals. This evidence concerns the gene ACE2 and acute kidney injury.