Highlights • A distinct HKU5 coronavirus lineage (HKU5-CoV-2) is discovered in bats • Bat HKU5-CoV-2 uses human ACE2 receptor and ACE2 orthologs from multiple species • Bat HKU5-CoV-2 RBD engages human ACE2 with a distinct binding mode from other CoVs • Bat HKU5-CoV-2 was isolated and infect human-ACE2-expressing cells Summary Merbecoviruses comprise four viral species with remarkable genetic diversity: MERS -related coronavirus, Tylonycterisbat coronavirus HKU4, Pipistrellusbat coronavirus HKU5, and Hedgehog coronavirus 1. However, the potential human spillover risk of animal merbecoviruses remains to be investigated. Here, we reported the discovery of HKU5-CoV lineage 2 (HKU5-CoV-2) in bats that efficiently utilize human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a functional receptor and exhibits a broad host tropism . Cryo-EM analysis of HKU5-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and human ACE2 complex revealed an entirely distinct binding mode compared with o...
Media Monitoring for Signals about Emerging Threats