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A novel bat coronavirus with a polybasic furin-like cleavage site
Wentao Zhu1, Yuyuan Huang2, Jian Gong2
1Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine and Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, China.
Virologica Sinica
|May 4, 2023
Summary
Researchers identified novel coronaviruses in bats from China, including Bat CoV CD35, which shares key features with SARS-CoV-2, offering insights into coronavirus origins.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Zoonotic Diseases
- Genomics
Background:
- Bats are potential natural hosts for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19.
- Understanding coronavirus ecology in bats is crucial for public health.
- Current knowledge of bat coronaviruses remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the diversity of coronaviruses in bats.
- To identify novel bat coronaviruses and analyze their genetic relationship to known human pathogens.
- To explore the origins of key SARS-CoV-2 features, such as the furin cleavage site.
Main Methods:
- Degenerate primer screening of bat samples.
- Next-generation sequencing for viral genome analysis.
- Phylogenetic analysis to determine evolutionary relationships.
- Comparative genomic analysis of viral proteins, including the receptor-binding domain.
Main Results:
- Three novel coronaviruses were identified in bats from Hainan Province, China: bat betacoronavirus (Bat CoV) CD35, Bat CoV CD36, and bat alphacoronavirus CD30.
- Bat CoV CD35 and CD36 showed high genomic similarity (99.5%) and shared the highest nucleotide identity with Bat Hp-betacoronavirus Zhejiang2013, and lower identity with SARS-CoV-2 (54.0%).
- Bat CoV CD35 possesses a furin-like cleavage site in its spike protein, similar to SARS-CoV-2, and its receptor-binding domain shows structural similarities to SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.
Conclusions:
- This study expands the understanding of bat coronavirus diversity.
- The findings suggest Bat CoV CD35 may provide clues regarding the natural origin of the furin cleavage site found in SARS-CoV-2.
- Further research into bat coronavirus ecology is warranted to assess zoonotic potential.
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