SNX27 suppresses SARS-CoV-2 infection by inhibiting viral lysosome/late endosome entry

Significance We here established the interaction between PDZ binding motif (PBM) at the C terminal of ACE2 and PDZ domain of sorting nexin 27 (SNX27) and solved the crystal structure of ACE2-PBM/SNX27-PDZ complex. Together with retromer complex, SNX27 was found to regulate the homeostasis of cell surface ACE2 under physiological conditions. When endocytic pathway was used during SARS-CoV-2 infection, SNX27-retromer sorts ACE2/SARS-CoV-2 complex at early endosome and prevents it from entering lysosome/late endosome, inhibiting the cell entry of the virus. These findings add substantially to the current understanding of the important role of cytosolic tail of ACE2 during the invasion of SARS-CoV-2, and it could be used as a new therapeutic target for drug development.