Journal of Medical Virology: Homologous recombination within the spike glycoprotein of the newly identified coronavirus 2019-nCoV may boost cross-spec

[tetano]

Wei Ji1，*，#, Wei Wang2，*, Xiaofang Zhao3，*, Junjie Zai 4，*, Xingguang Li5，*


Abstract

The current outbreak of viral pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, China, was caused by a novel coronavirus designated 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization, as determined by sequencing the viral RNA genome. Many initial patients were exposed to wildlife animals at the Huanan seafood wholesale market, where poultry, snake, bats, and other farm animals were also sold. To determine possible virus reservoir, we have carried out comprehensive sequence analysis and comparison in conjunction with relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) bias among different animal species based on the 2019-nCoV sequence. Results obtained from our analyses suggest that the 2019-nCoV appears to be a recombinant virus between the bat coronavirus and an origin-unknown coronavirus. The recombination occurred within the viral spike glycoprotein, which recognizes cell surface receptor. Additionally, our findings suggest that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV based on its RSCU bias close to snake compared to other animals. Taken together, our results suggest that homologous recombination within the spike glycoprotein may contribute to the 2019-nCoV cross-species transmission from snake to humans.


full article

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...ylaeBIqHTVvaavIF9CIqxX3WPP9niTX-rGkyDomJfEA==

 

[Emily]

http://virological.org/t/ncovs-relationship-to-bat-coronaviruses-recombination-signals-no-snakes/331

[h=1]nCoV's relationship to bat coronaviruses & recombination signals (no snakes)[/h] Novel 2019 coronavirus


david.l.robertson January 23, 2020, 2:47pm #1
With Xiaowei Jiang at XJTLU we’ve carried out a preliminary evolutionary analysis to characterise the evolutionary origins of the Wuhan virus, nCoV. Focus of our analysis is on the Wuhan-Hu-1 virus (accession no. MN908947, released on GenBank by Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China) as all nCoV cluster together so will share the same evolutionary ancestry. It’s clear from phylogenetic analysis the new human virus is most closely related to bat coronaviruses in the Betacoronaviruses genera. While this is apparent from both the previously reported BLAST and full-genome phylogenetic analysis the closest related bat viruses (CoVZC45 and CoVZXC21) are in fact recombinants with shared breakpoints either side of ORF1b


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See also:
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...probably-aren’t-spreading-the-new-china-virus