Identification of novel bat coronaviruses sheds light on the evolutionary origins of SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses

Despite the discovery of animal coronaviruses related to SARS-CoV-2, the evolutionary origins of this virus are elusive. We describe a meta-transcriptomic study of 411 bat samples collected from a small geographical region in Yunnan province, China, between May 2019 and November 2020. We identified 24 full-length coronavirus genomes, including four novel SARS-CoV-2-related and three SARS-CoV-related viruses. Rhinolophus pusillus virus RpYN06 was the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2 in most of the genome, although it possessed a more divergent spike gene. The other three SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses carried a genetically distinct spike gene that could weakly bind to the hACE2 receptor in vitro. Ecological modeling predicted the co-existence of up to 23 Rhinolophus bat species, with the largest contiguous hot-spots extending from South Laos and Vietnam to southern China. Our study highlights the remarkable diversity of bat coronaviruses at the local scale, including close relatives of both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV.

Automated summary

A study in Yunnan province, China, found the existence of bat coronaviruses related to both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, with RpYN06 virus being the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2. Ecological modeling predicted the co-existence of up to 23 Rhinolophus bat species, with the largest hot-spots extending from South Laos and Vietnam to southern China. The study highlights the remarkable diversity of bat coronaviruses at the local scale.