Link of a ubiquitous human coronavirus to dromedary camels

The four human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are globally endemic respiratory pathogens. The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (CoV) is an emerging CoV with a known zoonotic source in dromedary camels. Little is known about the origins of endemic HCoVs. Studying these viruses’ evolutionary...

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Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2016-08, Vol.113 (35), p.9864-9869
Main Authors: Corman, Victor M., Eckerle, Isabella, Memish, Ziad A., Liljander, Anne M., Dijkman, Ronald, Jonsdottir, Hulda, Ngeiywa, Kisi J. Z. Juma, Kamau, Esther, Younan, Mario, Masri, Malakita Al, Assiri, Abdullah, Gluecks, Ilona, Musa, Bakri E., Meyer, Benjamin, Müller, Marcel A., Hilali, Mosaad, Bornstein, Set, Wernery, Ulrich, Thiel, Volker, Jores, Joerg, Drexler, Jan Felix, Drosten, Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Base Sequence
Biological Sciences
Caco-2 Cells
Camelus - virology
Cell Line
Cell Line, Tumor
Cells, Cultured
Cercopithecus aethiops
Coronavirus
Coronavirus - classification
Coronavirus - genetics
Coronavirus - physiology
Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections - virology
Endemic Diseases
Epidemiology
Evolutionary biology
Humans
Kenya - epidemiology
Mammals
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus - genetics
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus - physiology
Phylogeny
Respiratory diseases
Saudi Arabia - epidemiology
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Social Sciences
Vero Cells
Viruses
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Summary:The four human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are globally endemic respiratory pathogens. The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (CoV) is an emerging CoV with a known zoonotic source in dromedary camels. Little is known about the origins of endemic HCoVs. Studying these viruses’ evolutionary history could provide important insight into CoV emergence. In tests of MERS-CoV–infected dromedaries, we found viruses related to an HCoV, known as HCoV-229E, in 5.6% of 1,033 animals. Human- and dromedary-derived viruses are each monophyletic, suggesting ecological isolation. One gene of dromedary viruses exists in two versions in camels, full length and deleted, whereas only the deleted version exists in humans. The deletion increased in size over a succession starting from camelid viruses via old human viruses to contemporary human viruses. Live isolates of dromedary 229E viruses were obtained and studied to assess human infection risks. The viruses used the human entry receptor aminopeptidase N and replicated in human hepatoma cells, suggesting a principal ability to cause human infections. However, inefficient replication in several mucosa-derived cell lines and airway epithelial cultures suggested lack of adaptation to the human host. Dromedary viruses were as sensitive to the human type I interferon response as HCoV-229E. Antibodies in human sera neutralized dromedary-derived viruses, suggesting population immunity against dromedary viruses. Although no current epidemic risk seems to emanate from these viruses, evolutionary inference suggests that the endemic human virus HCoV-229E may constitute a descendant of camelid-associated viruses. HCoV-229E evolution provides a scenario for MERS-CoV emergence.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1604472113