Comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 and its receptor ACE2 with evolutionarily related coronaviruses

Fei-Feng Li,Gui-Yu Wang,Shu-Lin Liu,Qiong Zhang

doi:10.18632/aging.104024

Abstract

The pandemic COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and it is spreading very rapidly worldwide. To date, the origin and intermediate hosts of SARS-CoV-2 remain unclear. In this study, we conducted comparative analysis among SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strains to elucidate their phylogenetic relationships. We found: 1, the SARS-CoV-2 strains analyzed could be divided into 3 clades with regional aggregation; 2, the non-SARS-CoV-2 common coronaviruses that infect humans or other organisms to cause respiratory syndrome and epizootic catarrhal gastroenteritis could also be divided into 3 clades; 3, the hosts of the common coronaviruses closest to SARS-CoV-2 were Apodemus chevrieri (a rodent), Delphinapterus leucas (beluga whale), Hypsugo savii (bat) , Camelus bactrianus (camel) and Mustela vison (mink); and 4, the gene sequences of the receptor ACE2 from different hosts could also be divided into 3 clades. The ACE2 gene sequences closest to that of humans in evolution include those from Nannospalax galili (Upper Galilee mountains blind mole rat), Phyllostomus discolor (pale spear-nosed bat), Mus musculus (house mouse), Delphinapterus leucas (beluga whale), and Catharus ustulatus (Swainson's thrush). We conclude that SARS-CoV-2 may have evolved from a distant common ancestor with the common coronaviruses but not a branch of any of them, implying that the prevalent pandemic COVID-19 agent SARS-CoV-2 may have existed in a yet to be identified primary host for a long time.

Highlights

Coronaviruses, first described from the common cold patients in 1966, are enveloped positive single-stranded RNA nuclear viruses, which can infect a large variety of host species including humans [3, 4]
Note: 1“Fu or Ne”, the SARS-CoV-2 were in the clades CI, CII and CIII respectively with furthest (Fu) or nearest (Ne) from the roots of the evolutionary tree; 2“Near with Fu or Ne”, the viruses in the common coronaviruses that were infect humans and nearest with the “Fu or Ne”
Note: 1“Fu or Ne”, the SARS-CoV-2 were in the clades CI, CII and CIII respectively with furthest (Fu) or nearest (Ne) from the roots of the evolutionary tree; 2“Near with Fu or Ne”, the viruses in the common coronaviruses that were infect other organisms and nearest with “Fu or Ne”

Summary

Introduction

Coronaviruses, first described from the common cold patients in 1966, are enveloped positive single-stranded RNA nuclear viruses, which can infect a large variety of host species including humans [3, 4]. Respiratory syndrome- Mol type, genomic RNA; Host, Homo related coronavirus sapiens; Collection date, 05-Apr-2013

Results

Conclusion