Little Brown Bats (<i>Myotis lucifugus</i>) Support the Binding of SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Are Likely Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Shubhada K. Chothe,
Padmaja Jakka,
Veda Sheersh Boorla,
Santhamani Ramasamy,
Abhinay Gontu,
Ruth H. Nissly,
Justin Brown,
Gregory Turner,
Brent J. Sewall,
DeeAnn M. Reeder,
Kenneth A. Field,
Julie B. Engiles,
Saranya Amirthalingam,
Abirami Ravichandran,
Lindsey LaBella,
Meera Surendran Nair,
Costas D. Maranas,
Suresh V. Kuchipudi
Affiliations
Shubhada K. Chothe
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Padmaja Jakka
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Veda Sheersh Boorla
Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Santhamani Ramasamy
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Abhinay Gontu
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Ruth H. Nissly
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Justin Brown
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Gregory Turner
Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Ave, Harrisburg, PA 17110, USA
Brent J. Sewall
Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
DeeAnn M. Reeder
Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
Kenneth A. Field
Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
Julie B. Engiles
Departments of Pathobiology and Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA
Saranya Amirthalingam
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Abirami Ravichandran
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Lindsey LaBella
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Meera Surendran Nair
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Costas D. Maranas
Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Suresh V. Kuchipudi
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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. Recent studies have shown a significant variation in the susceptibility among bat species to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We show that little brown bats (LBB) express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor and the transmembrane serine protease 2, which are accessible to and support SARS-CoV-2 binding. All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed that LBB ACE2 formed strong electrostatic interactions with the RBD similar to human and cat ACE2 proteins. In summary, LBBs, a widely distributed North American bat species, could be at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and potentially serve as a natural reservoir. Finally, our framework, combining in vitro and in silico methods, is a useful tool to assess the SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility of bats and other animal species.
