Researchers have revealed that a subtle genetic difference in coronaviruses may be a decisive factor in the transmission of some viruses from bats to humans, giving them the ability to cause serious diseases. A recent study showed that a change in a single amino acid within a viral protein could affect the way the virus interacts with the immune system in both humans and bats.
The study was conducted with the participation of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Pasteur Institute, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, with the aim of understanding the mechanisms that may allow some animal viruses to cross the species barrier and infect humans.
The researchers pointed out that most pandemics begin with the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans, and it is believed that the “Covid-19” pandemic represents one of these models, given the close link between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the coronaviruses circulating in bats.
To analyze this mechanism, the team compared the SARS-CoV-2 virus with a closely related virus known as RaTG13 that is limited to bats, focusing on their interaction with immune proteins within human lung cells and bat cells.
The experiments relied on lung cells taken from the great horseshoe bat and grown in a laboratory, which allowed for a direct comparison of the cells’ response to the two viruses.
The results showed that a viral protein known as OrfB9 plays a pivotal role in this process. Despite the great similarity between the two versions of the protein in the two viruses, the difference between them is limited to only one amino acid out of about 100 amino acids.
In human cells, the version of the protein found in the SARS-CoV-2 virus helped disable the immune warning system, giving the virus a greater opportunity to replicate. In contrast, the version of the RaTG13 virus inside bat cells contributed to the activation of an immune protein that limited the spread of the virus.
Director of the Institute of Quantitative Biosciences and lead author of the study, Nevan J., said: Kroghan said the difference between a virus that remains confined to bats and another that is able to transmit to humans may be due to very minor genetic changes.
He added that understanding these molecular differences may help scientists identify viruses that are most transmissible to humans, thus enhancing early warning efforts and monitoring epidemic risks before they turn into large-scale health crises.
Researchers have revealed that a subtle genetic difference in coronaviruses may be a crucial factor in the transmission of some viruses from bats to humans, giving them the ability to cause serious diseases. A recent study showed that a change in a single amino acid within one of the viral proteins can affect how the virus interacts with the immune system in both humans and bats.
The study was conducted with the participation of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Pasteur Institute, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, aiming to understand the mechanisms that may allow some animal viruses to cross the species barrier and infect humans.
Researchers pointed out that most pandemics begin with the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans, and it is believed that the COVID-19 pandemic represents one of these models, given the close relationship between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and coronaviruses prevalent in bats.
To analyze this mechanism, the team compared the SARS-CoV-2 virus with a closely related virus known as RaTG13, which is found only in bats, focusing on their interactions with immune proteins within human lung cells and bat cells.
The experiments relied on lung cells taken from a large horseshoe bat that were cultured in the laboratory, allowing for a direct comparison of the cells’ responses to the two viruses.
The results showed that a viral protein known as OrfB9 plays a pivotal role in this process. Despite the significant similarity between the protein versions in the two viruses, the difference between them is limited to just one amino acid out of approximately 100 amino acids.
In human cells, the version of the protein present in the SARS-CoV-2 virus helped disable the immune alarm system, giving the virus a greater opportunity to replicate. In contrast, the version present in the RaTG13 virus within bat cells contributed to activating an immune protein that limited the spread of the virus.
Nevan J. Krogan, the director of the Quantitative Biological Sciences Institute and the study’s lead author, stated that the difference between a virus that remains confined to bats and another capable of transmission to humans may be due to very slight genetic changes.
He added that understanding these molecular differences could help scientists identify viruses that are more likely to be transmitted to humans, thereby enhancing early warning efforts and monitoring of epidemic risks before they turn into widespread health crises.
