Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Bat Coronavirus Closely Related to the Direct Progenitor of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus

Abstract
We report the isolation and characterization of a novel bat coronavirus which is much closer to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in genomic sequence than others previously reported, particularly in its S gene. Cell entry and susceptibility studies indicated that this virus can use ACE2 as a receptor and infect animal and human cell lines. Our results provide further evidence of the bat origin of the SARS-CoV and highlight the likelihood of future bat coronavirus emergence in humans.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (81290341, 31321001)
  • Minister of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2014ZX10004001-003, 2013FY113500)
  • HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIAID R01AI110964)
  • National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF2012NRF-CRP001-056)