Here, via screening of a polypeptide library from bronchoalveolar lavage, the authors identify and characterize α1-antitrypsin (α1AT) as SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor and show that α1AT binds and inactivates the serine protease TMPRSS2, which enzymatically primes the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for membrane fusion.
- Lukas Wettstein
- Tatjana Weil
- Jan Münch