Figure 3.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cell infection mechanism. SARS-CoV-2 is surrounded by spiky glycoproteins, also defined as peplomers. The glycoproteins consist of two functional subunits, S1 and S2. The S1 subunit is responsible for host cell receptor binding and stabilization of the viral entity, while the S2 subunit facilitates the fusion of the viral and cellular membranes. After invading the human body, SARS-CoV-2 binds to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is found on the exterior surfaces of multiple types of cells. ACE2 - angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (image created using BioRender application https://app.biorender.com).