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

doi:10.3390/v15051103

Viruses (Apr 2023)

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

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v15051103
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 5
p. 1103

Abstract

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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.

Published in Viruses

ISSN: 1999-4915 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Microbiology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses

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