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Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) Support the Binding of SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Are Likely Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 Infection
- Source :
- Viruses, Vol 15, Iss 5, p 1103 (2023)
- Publication Year :
- 2023
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2023.
-
Abstract
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), believed to have originated from a bat species, can infect a wide range of non-human hosts. Bats are known to harbor hundreds of coronaviruses capable of spillover into human populations. Recent studies have shown a significant variation in the susceptibility among bat species to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We show that little brown bats (LBB) express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor and the transmembrane serine protease 2, which are accessible to and support SARS-CoV-2 binding. All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed that LBB ACE2 formed strong electrostatic interactions with the RBD similar to human and cat ACE2 proteins. In summary, LBBs, a widely distributed North American bat species, could be at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and potentially serve as a natural reservoir. Finally, our framework, combining in vitro and in silico methods, is a useful tool to assess the SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility of bats and other animal species.
- Subjects :
- SARS-CoV-2
ACE2
little brown bat
coronaviruses
Microbiology
QR1-502
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19994915
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Viruses
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.2a1bbf56f8924e5a8f075ca9706f5002
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/v15051103