ACE2 and COVID-19: The decrease in ACE-2 may partially explain the decrease in SARS-CoV-2 infection, but it may also suggest that intracellular conditions play important roles; for example, CFTR mutation-induced pH alterations in organelles of the secretory pathway may alter glycosylation of the ACE-2 receptor [41], mitigating viral infection and the damaging effects of COVID-19 on the lungs [13].