Novel coronavirus could be a hybrid of bat and pangolin viruses: study

Novel coronavirus could be a hybrid of bat and pangolin viruses: study

Explainer: How bat and pangolin coronaviruses may have recombined to create SARS-CoV-2

For story suggestions or custom animation requests, contact tips@nextanimation.com.tw.

Visit http://archive.nextanimationstudio.com to view News Direct's complete archive of 3D news animations.

RESTRICTIONS: Broadcast: NO USE JAPAN, NO USE TAIWAN Digital: NO USE JAPAN, NO USE TAIWAN SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could be a hybrid that descended from different clades of bat and pangolin viruses, according to new research in Science Advances.

Writing in a news release, the team says the bat virus RaTG13 is the closest genetic relative to SARS-CoV-2, with a 96.3 percent RNA similarity.

However, the bat virus does not have the spike protein parts used by SARS-CoV-2 for infecting humans.

Yet another close relative, a clade of SARS-like pangolin virus from China, has receptor-binding domains that closely match the corresponding parts of the novel coronavirus.

The bat and pangolin viruses likely recombined to form SARS-CoV-2.

Recombining may occur when two similar viruses infect the same cell.

When this happens, molecules that made up the distinct viruses are reshuffled into a new pathogen.

RUNDOWN SHOWS: 1.

SARS-CoV-2 could be a hybrid of bat and pangolin viruses 2.

Bat virus RaTG13 is the closest genetic relative to SARS-CoV-2 3.

Pangolin SARS-like virus possesses similar spike proteins to SARS-CoV-2 4.

Recombination of bat and pangolin viruses in a cell produces SARS-CoV-2 VOICEOVER (in English): "SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could be a hybrid that descended from different clades of bat and pangolin viruses, according to new research in Science Advances." "Writing in a news release, the team says the bat virus RaTG13 is the closest genetic relative to SARS-CoV-2, with a 96.3 percent RNA similarity.

However, the bat virus does not have the spike protein parts used by SARS-CoV-2 for infecting humans." "Yet another close relative, a clade of SARS-like pangolin virus from China, has receptor-binding domains that closely match the corresponding parts of the novel coronavirus." "The bat and pangolin viruses likely recombined to form SARS-CoV-2.

Recombining may occur when two similar viruses infect the same cell.

When this happens, molecules that made up the distinct viruses are reshuffled into a new pathogen." SOURCES: Science Advances, Duke University https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/05/28/sciadv.abb9153 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200529161221.htm *** For story suggestions please contact tips@nextanimation.com.tw For technical and editorial support, please contact: Asia: +61 2 93 73 1841 Europe: +44 20 7542 7599 Americas and Latam: +1 800 738 8377