The common ancestor of extant mammalian coronaviruses originated recently in a bat species and their diversification occurred via preferential host switches rather than through codiversification with mammals.
Phylogenetic and computational methods reveal that at least two seasonal coronaviruses are evolving adaptively in the region of the viral spike protein exposed to the human humoral immune system.
MERS-CoV infections in the Arabian Peninsula are the result of several hundred spillover events from viruses circulating in camels into the human population.
Several different mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome have occurred more times than expected by chance in either mink or deer infections, suggesting species-specific viral adaptations to these animals.
High-throughput and ultra-stable magnetic tweezers reveal that Remdesivir induces a long-lived backtrack pause upon incorporation by the coronavirus polymerase, and SARS-CoV-2 is able to evade interferon-induced antiviral ddhCTP.
The double-gene-knockout pig is a valuable model to help understand the mechanisms of CD163 and pAPN in the infection of multiple viruses and offers excellent breeding materials for disease-resistant pigs.
David W Sanders, Chanelle C Jumper ... Clifford P Brangwynne
A high-throughput microscopy screen for drugs that modulate SARS-CoV-2 spike-mediated membrane fusion identifies an essential role for cholesterol in both virus entry and syncytia formation.
Nicholas James Ose, Paul Campitelli ... Sefika Banu Ozkan
Insights from integrating evolutionary predictions and protein dynamics unveil how specific mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein epistatically interact in order to influence spike protein interaction with human cells, potentially altering the virus's infectivity and immune evasion capabilities.
SARS-CoV-2 has evolved to cleverly mimic the FURIN-cleavage site in human ENaC-α, unlike any prior coronavirus strain, shedding new light on the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients.
