Science Community Focus
Could Pangolins cause Coronavirus Infections in Humans?
Structural similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and a pangolin coronavirus found by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, suggest that a pangolin coronavirus could affect humans although it doesn’t rule out that another species may be a carrier of a coronavirus that will jump to humans. While SARS-CoV-2 is thought to have evolved from a bat coronavirus, its exact evolutionary path is still unclear as there are likely many undiscovered bat coronaviruses. Also due to differences between bat coronaviruses and SARS- CoV-2, it is thought that the virus may have passed to humans via at least one other species.
In the study, the scientists compared the structures of the spike proteins found on SARS-CoV-2, the most similar currently identifi ed bat coronavirus RaTG13 and a coronavirus isolated from Malayan pangolins, seized by authorities after being smuggled to China. The pangolin virus was found to be able to bind to receptors from both pangolins and humans, while the bat coronavirus, could not effectively bind with human or pangolin receptors.
Antoni Wrobel, co-lead author and postdoctoral training fellow in the Structural Biology of Disease Processes Laboratory at the Crick, said: “By testing if the spike protein of a given virus can bind with cell receptors from different species, we’re able to see if, in theory, the virus could infect this species.
spike protein, which is responsible for binding to and infecting cells. While some parts of the pangolin virus’ spike were found to be incredibly similar to SARS-CoV-2, other areas differed.
The work does not confi rm whether or not this pangolin virus is defi nitely part of the chain of evolution for SARS- CoV-2, but does support various possible scenarios for how the coronavirus jumped from bats to humans. One potential route is that SARS-CoV-2 originated from a different, currently unknown bat coronavirus which could infect pangolins and from this species it then moved to humans. Alternatively, RaTG13 or a similar bat coronavirus might have merged with another coronavirus in a different intermediate species, other than a pangolin.
Cryo-EM images of the spike of Pangolin-Cov, showing two different angles (credit: Francis Crick Institute)
“Importantly here, we’ve shown two key things. Firstly, that this bat virus would unlikely be able to infect pangolins. And secondly that a pangolin virus could potentially infect humans.”
The team used cryo-electron microscopy to uncover in minute detail the structure of the pangolin coronavirus’
Modelling Highlights Vulnerable Sites on SARS-Cov-2 Protein
University of York scientists have been able to identify potentially vulnerable sites on a key protein found in coronavirus using computer modelling, paving the way for possible new drug treatments in the future.
The coronavirus responsible for the Covid-19 epidemic deploys dozens of viral biomolecules when it invades host cells with the disease. One of these is a compact protein, the main protease, whose function is critical to the virus. By analysing the structure of the protease using modelling techniques, the scientists have been able to simulate the protein’s motions, suggesting sites that might be accessible to new drugs.
The study (1), by Tom McLeish, Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Department of Physics and Igors Dubanevics from the School of Natural Sciences, ‘was not related to the current vaccines, which are based on the ’Spike’ protein, but is a study of another key protein in the Covid process,’ Prof McLeish said.
Picture credit: University of York
He added: “It is more relevant to potential future drugs than to future vaccines, as the motions of the protein that
it uncovers point to new ’sites’ on the protein where binding small molecules might disrupt the protein function. The advantage of these sites, and our method in general, is that they are not the ‘obvious’ ones that compete with the normal binding of the protein, but other sites that can be accessed even when the usual binding sites are occupied.”
Igors Dubanevics said: “We have identifi ed promising druggable sites in the main protease via computer simulations and some of them have been supported by the newest studies by other groups. The next logical step would be to investigate the identifi ed sites by conducting biological experiments in a lab.
(1) Published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. More information online:
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Donald Benton, co-lead author and postdoctoral training fellow in the Structural Biology of Disease Processes Laboratory at the Crick, added: “We have shown that a pangolin virus could potentially jump to humans, so we urge caution in any contact with this species and the end of illegal smuggling and trade in pangolins to protect against this risk.”
More information online:
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Consortium to provide Swifter Pandemic Predictions
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is providing funding of £3 million will bring together leading mathematical and statistical modellers from seven UK universities to produce rigorous predictions for the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Joint UNIversities Pandemic and Epidemiological Research’ (JUNIPER) consortium will develop and use bespoke models to provide predictions and estimates on key questions about the COVID-19 pandemic. These results feed regularly into SPI-M, the modelling group that provides evidence to the Scientifi c Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and the wider UK government.
The research groups include that of Professor Deirdre Hollingsworth of the Big Data Institute based on the
Oxford University Campus. The other universities are the University of Cambridge University of Warwick, University of Exeter, University of Bristol, The University of Manchester and Lancaster University.
They will work closely with many other organisations and research teams active on COVID-19 research including the Alan Turing Institute, the Royal Statistical Society, Health Data Research UK, Public Health England, the Royal Society’s ‘RAMP’ initiative and the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences.
More information online:
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Picture credit: Big Data Institute
LABMATE UK & IRELAND - MARCH 2021
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