Published 2016 | Version v1
Journal article Restricted

A Bat-Derived Putative Cross-Family Recombinant Coronavirus with a Reovirus Gene

Description

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012 has generated enormous interest in the biodiversity, genomics and cross-species transmission potential of coronaviruses, especially those from bats, the second most speciose order of mammals. Herein, we identified a novel coronavirus, provisionally designated Rousettus bat coronavirus GCCDC1 (Ro-BatCoV GCCDC1), in the rectal swab samples of Rousettus leschenaulti bats by using pan-coronavirus RT-PCR and next-generation sequencing. Although the virus is similar to Rousettus bat coronavirus HKU9 (Ro-BatCoV HKU9) in genome characteristics, it is sufficiently distinct to be classified as a new species according to the criteria defined by the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). More striking was that Ro-BatCoV GCCDC1 contained a unique gene integrated into the 3'-end of the genome that has no homologs in any known coronavirus, but which sequence and phylogeny analyses indicated most likely originated from the p10 gene of a bat orthoreovirus. Subgenomic mRNA and cellular-level observations demonstrated that the p10 gene is functional and induces the formation of cell syncytia. Therefore, here we report a putative heterologous inter-family recombination event between a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus and a double-stranded segmented RNA virus, providing insights into the fundamental mechanisms of viral evolution.

Files

Restricted

The record is publicly accessible, but files are restricted to users with access.

Additional details

Identifiers

URL
hash://md5/e21a0aa7c356f9d21f684ec701aa6669
URN
urn:lsid:zotero.org:groups:5435545:items:D92SQQPG
DOI
10.1371/journal.ppat.1005883

Biodiversity

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Chiroptera