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Tan CCS, Trew J, Peacock TP, Mok KY, Hart C, Lau K, Ni D, Orme CDL, Ransome E, Pearse WD, Coleman CM, Bailey D, Thakur N, Quantrill JL, Sukhova K, Richard D, Kahane L, Woodward G, Bell T, Worledge L, Nunez-Mino J, Barclay W, van Dorp L, Balloux F, Savolainen V. Genomic screening of 16 UK native bat species through conservationist networks uncovers coronaviruses with zoonotic potential. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3322. [PMID: 37369644 PMCID: PMC10300128 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38717-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric C S Tan
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jahcub Trew
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Thomas P Peacock
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, St Marys Medical School, Paddington, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Kai Yi Mok
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, St Marys Medical School, Paddington, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Charlie Hart
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Kelvin Lau
- Protein Production and Structure Core Facility (PTPSP), School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Rte Cantonale, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dongchun Ni
- Laboratory of Biological Electron Microscopy (LBEM), School of Basic Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Rte Cantonale, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - C David L Orme
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Emma Ransome
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - William D Pearse
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Christopher M Coleman
- Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Derby Rd, Lenton, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | | | - Nazia Thakur
- The Pirbright Institute, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Jessica L Quantrill
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, St Marys Medical School, Paddington, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Ksenia Sukhova
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, St Marys Medical School, Paddington, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Damien Richard
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Laura Kahane
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Guy Woodward
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Thomas Bell
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Lisa Worledge
- The Bat Conservation Trust, Studio 15 Cloisters House, Cloisters Business Centre, 8 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4BG, UK
| | - Joe Nunez-Mino
- The Bat Conservation Trust, Studio 15 Cloisters House, Cloisters Business Centre, 8 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4BG, UK
| | - Wendy Barclay
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, St Marys Medical School, Paddington, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Lucy van Dorp
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Francois Balloux
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Vincent Savolainen
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK.
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