tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Nat Commun
. 2023 Jun 27;14(1):3322.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38717-w. Genomic screening of 16 UK native bat species through conservationist networks uncovers coronaviruses with zoonotic potential
Cedric C S Tan[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jahcub Trew[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 [/SUP], Thomas P Peacock[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kai Yi Mok[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Charlie Hart[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kelvin Lau[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Dongchun Ni[SUP] 6 [/SUP], C David L Orme[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Emma Ransome[SUP] 3 [/SUP], William D Pearse[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Christopher M Coleman[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Dalan Bailey[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Nazia Thakur[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], Jessica L Quantrill[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Ksenia Sukhova[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Damien Richard[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Laura Kahane[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Guy Woodward[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Thomas Bell[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Lisa Worledge[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Joe Nunez-Mino[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Wendy Barclay[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Lucy van Dorp[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francois Balloux[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vincent Savolainen[SUP] 11 [/SUP]
Affiliations
There has been limited characterisation of bat-borne coronaviruses in Europe. Here, we screened for coronaviruses in 48 faecal samples from 16 of the 17 bat species breeding in the UK, collected through a bat rehabilitation and conservationist network. We recovered nine complete genomes, including two novel coronavirus species, across six bat species: four alphacoronaviruses, a MERS-related betacoronavirus, and four closely related sarbecoviruses. We demonstrate that at least one of these sarbecoviruses can bind and use the human ACE2 receptor for infecting human cells, albeit suboptimally. Additionally, the spike proteins of these sarbecoviruses possess an R-A-K-Q motif, which lies only one nucleotide mutation away from a furin cleavage site (FCS) that enhances infectivity in other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. However, mutating this motif to an FCS does not enable spike cleavage. Overall, while UK sarbecoviruses would require further molecular adaptations to infect humans, their zoonotic risk warrants closer surveillance.
. 2023 Jun 27;14(1):3322.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38717-w. Genomic screening of 16 UK native bat species through conservationist networks uncovers coronaviruses with zoonotic potential
Cedric C S Tan[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jahcub Trew[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 [/SUP], Thomas P Peacock[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kai Yi Mok[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Charlie Hart[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kelvin Lau[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Dongchun Ni[SUP] 6 [/SUP], C David L Orme[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Emma Ransome[SUP] 3 [/SUP], William D Pearse[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Christopher M Coleman[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Dalan Bailey[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Nazia Thakur[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], Jessica L Quantrill[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Ksenia Sukhova[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Damien Richard[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Laura Kahane[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Guy Woodward[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Thomas Bell[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Lisa Worledge[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Joe Nunez-Mino[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Wendy Barclay[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Lucy van Dorp[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francois Balloux[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vincent Savolainen[SUP] 11 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37369644
- DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38717-w
There has been limited characterisation of bat-borne coronaviruses in Europe. Here, we screened for coronaviruses in 48 faecal samples from 16 of the 17 bat species breeding in the UK, collected through a bat rehabilitation and conservationist network. We recovered nine complete genomes, including two novel coronavirus species, across six bat species: four alphacoronaviruses, a MERS-related betacoronavirus, and four closely related sarbecoviruses. We demonstrate that at least one of these sarbecoviruses can bind and use the human ACE2 receptor for infecting human cells, albeit suboptimally. Additionally, the spike proteins of these sarbecoviruses possess an R-A-K-Q motif, which lies only one nucleotide mutation away from a furin cleavage site (FCS) that enhances infectivity in other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. However, mutating this motif to an FCS does not enable spike cleavage. Overall, while UK sarbecoviruses would require further molecular adaptations to infect humans, their zoonotic risk warrants closer surveillance.