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SARS-CoV-2 Compatible ACE2 Receptors in Little Brown Bats ( Myotis lucifugus)
25 Pages Posted: 19 Dec 2022
More...Abstract
Background: 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. Earlier studies showed a significant variation in susceptibility among bat species to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The ability of spike protein to bind to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is a crucial determinant of host susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Methods: Immunohistochemistry and SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudovirus-based virus binding assays were used to demonstrate ACE2 expression and virus binding in the respiratory and GI tracts of adult and juvenile LBB. Rosetta binding energy calculations and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations were used to demonstrate binding energy simulations for ACE2-RBD complexes and ACE2-RBD interactions in various animal species.
Findings: We show that LBBs' trachea and intestine abundantly express ACE2 and the transmembrane serine protease 2 and support SARS-CoV-2 binding. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations revealed that LBB ACE2 formed strong electrostatic interactions with the RBD similar to human and cat ACE2 proteins.
Interpretation: Little Brown Bats, a widely distributed North American bat species, could be at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and potentially serve as a natural reservoir and warrant targeted surveillance of LBB.
Funding Information: This work is partially supported by the Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences endowed chair funding (S.V.K.) and white-nose syndrome grant F15AP00956 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (to B.J.S, G.G.T., and D.M.R.).
Declaration of Interests: All the authors declare that they have no competing interests
Ethics Considerations: The study (DMR-17) was approved by the Bucknell University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and all methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Little Brown Bats, ACE2, TMPRSS2, Infectious Disease
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