Genomic Characterization of a Novel Alphacoronavirus Isolated from Bats, Korea, 2020
Hai-Quynh Do,
Van-Giap Nguyen,
Chul-Un Chung,
Yong-Shin Jeon,
Sook Shin,
Kuem-Chan Jang,
Le Bich Hang Pham,
Aeri Kong,
Cheong-Ung Kim,
Yong-Ho Park,
Bong-Kyun Park,
Hee-Chun Chung
Affiliations
Hai-Quynh Do
Virology Lab, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Van-Giap Nguyen
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Chul-Un Chung
Department of Life Science, Dongguk University, Gyeongju 38066, Korea
Yong-Shin Jeon
Department of Life Science, Dongguk University, Gyeongju 38066, Korea
Sook Shin
Noah Biotech Research Unit, Noah Biotech Co., Ltd., Suwon 16612, Korea
Kuem-Chan Jang
Noah Biotech Research Unit, Noah Biotech Co., Ltd., Suwon 16612, Korea
Le Bich Hang Pham
Institute of Genome Research, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Aeri Kong
Department of Medical Science, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Cheong-Ung Kim
Department of Veterinary Medicine Microbology Lab, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Yong-Ho Park
Noah Biotech Research Unit, Noah Biotech Co., Ltd., Suwon 16612, Korea
Bong-Kyun Park
Virology Lab, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Hee-Chun Chung
Virology Lab, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Coronavirus, an important zoonotic disease, raises concerns of future pandemics. The bat is considered a source of noticeable viruses resulting in human and livestock infections, especially the coronavirus. Therefore, surveillance and genetic analysis of coronaviruses in bats are essential in order to prevent the risk of future diseases. In this study, the genome of HCQD-2020, a novel alphacoronavirus detected in a bat (Eptesicus serotinus), was assembled and described using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The comparison of the whole-genome sequence and the conserved amino acid sequence of replicated proteins revealed that the new strain was distantly related with other known species in the Alphacoronavirus genus. Phylogenetic construction indicated that this strain formed a separated branch with other species, suggesting a new species of Alphacoronavirus. Additionally, in silico prediction also revealed the risk of cross-species infection of this strain, especially in the order Artiodactyla. In summary, this study provided the genetic characteristics of a possible new species belonging to Alphacoronavirus.
