Cell . A bat MERS-like coronavirus circulates in pangolins and utilizes human DPP4 and host proteases for cell entry

[tetano]

Cell


. 2023 Feb 16;186(4):850-863.e16.
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.019.
A bat MERS-like coronavirus circulates in pangolins and utilizes human DPP4 and host proteases for cell entry


Jing Chen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xinglou Yang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haorui Si[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Qianchun Gong[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Tengcheng Que[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jing Li[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Yang Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chunguang Wu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Wei Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ying Chen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yun Luo[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yan Zhu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Bei Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Dongsheng Luo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ben Hu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haofeng Lin[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rendi Jiang[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Tingting Jiang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Qian Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Meiqin Liu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shizhe Xie[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jia Su[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Xiaoshuang Zheng[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ang Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yulin Yao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yong Yang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Panyu Chen[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Aiqiong Wu[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Meihong He[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Xinhua Lin[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Yigang Tong[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Yanling Hu[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Zheng-Li Shi[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Peng Zhou[SUP] 12 [/SUP]



Affiliations

• PMID: 36803605
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.019

Abstract

It is unknown whether pangolins, the most trafficked mammals, play a role in the zoonotic transmission of bat coronaviruses. We report the circulation of a novel MERS-like coronavirus in Malayan pangolins, named Manis javanica HKU4-related coronavirus (MjHKU4r-CoV). Among 86 animals, four tested positive by pan-CoV PCR, and seven tested seropositive (11 and 12.8%). Four nearly identical (99.9%) genome sequences were obtained, and one virus was isolated (MjHKU4r-CoV-1). This virus utilizes human dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (hDPP4) as a receptor and host proteases for cell infection, which is enhanced by a furin cleavage site that is absent in all known bat HKU4r-CoVs. The MjHKU4r-CoV-1 spike shows higher binding affinity for hDPP4, and MjHKU4r-CoV-1 has a wider host range than bat HKU4-CoV. MjHKU4r-CoV-1 is infectious and pathogenic in human airways and intestinal organs and in hDPP4-transgenic mice. Our study highlights the importance of pangolins as reservoir hosts of coronaviruses poised for human disease emergence.

Keywords: bat MERS-like coronavirus; dipeptidyl peptidase-4; furin cleavage site; pangolin.

 

[tetano]

Cell


. 2023 Feb 16;186(4):688-690.
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.009.
Pangolin merbecovirus gets down to (poly)basics


Stuart J D Neil[SUP] 1 [/SUP]



Affiliations

• PMID: 36803601
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.009

Abstract

Trafficking of live mammals is considered a major risk for emergence of zoonotic viruses. SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses have previously been identified in pangolins, the world's most smuggled mammal. A new study identifies a MERS-related coronavirus in trafficked pangolins with broad mammalian tropism and a newly acquired furin cleavage site in Spike.