Genomic screening of 16 UK native bat species through conservationist networks uncovers coronaviruses with zoonotic potential

Cedric C. S. Tan, Jahcub Trew, Thomas P. Peacock, Kai Yi Mok, Charlie Hart, Kelvin Lau, Dongchun Ni, C. David L. Orme, Emma Ransome, William D. Pearse, Christopher M. Coleman, Dalan Bailey, Nazia Thakur, Jessica L. Quantrill, Ksenia Sukhova, Damien Richard, Laura Kahane, Guy Woodward, Thomas Bell, Lisa Worledge, Joe Nunez-Mino, Wendy Barclay, Lucy van Dorp, Francois Balloux and Vincent Savolainen ()
Additional contact information
Cedric C. S. Tan: University College London
Jahcub Trew: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus
Thomas P. Peacock: St Marys Medical School
Kai Yi Mok: St Marys Medical School
Charlie Hart: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus
Kelvin Lau: School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Dongchun Ni: School of Basic Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
C. David L. Orme: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus
Emma Ransome: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus
William D. Pearse: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus
Christopher M. Coleman: University of Nottingham
Dalan Bailey: The Pirbright Institute
Nazia Thakur: The Pirbright Institute
Jessica L. Quantrill: St Marys Medical School
Ksenia Sukhova: St Marys Medical School
Damien Richard: University College London
Laura Kahane: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus
Guy Woodward: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus
Thomas Bell: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus
Lisa Worledge: Studio 15 Cloisters House, Cloisters Business Centre
Joe Nunez-Mino: Studio 15 Cloisters House, Cloisters Business Centre
Wendy Barclay: St Marys Medical School
Lucy van Dorp: University College London
Francois Balloux: University College London
Vincent Savolainen: Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38717-w

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