Differential sensitivity of bat cells to infection by enveloped RNA viruses: coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses, filoviruses, and influenza viruses

PLoS One. 2013 Aug 30;8(8):e72942. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072942. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Bats (Chiroptera) host major human pathogenic viruses including corona-, paramyxo, rhabdo- and filoviruses. We analyzed six different cell lines from either Yinpterochiroptera (including African flying foxes and a rhinolophid bat) or Yangochiroptera (genera Carollia and Tadarida) for susceptibility to infection by different enveloped RNA viruses. None of the cells were sensitive to infection by transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), a porcine coronavirus, or to infection mediated by the Spike (S) protein of SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) incorporated into pseudotypes based on vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). The resistance to infection was overcome if cells were transfected to express the respective cellular receptor, porcine aminopeptidase N for TGEV or angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 for SARS-CoV. VSV pseudotypes containing the S proteins of two bat SARS-related CoV (Bg08 and Rp3) were unable to infect any of the six tested bat cell lines. By contrast, viral pseudotypes containing the surface protein GP of Marburg virus from the family Filoviridae infected all six cell lines though at different efficiency. Notably, all cells were sensitive to infection by two paramyxoviruses (Sendai virus and bovine respiratory syncytial virus) and three influenza viruses from different subtypes. These results indicate that bat cells are more resistant to infection by coronaviruses than to infection by paramyxoviruses, filoviruses and influenza viruses. Furthermore, these results show a receptor-dependent restriction of the infection of bat cells by CoV. The implications for the isolation of coronaviruses from bats are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Cell Line
  • Chiroptera / virology*
  • Coronavirus / physiology*
  • Filoviridae / physiology*
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Orthomyxoviridae / physiology*
  • Paramyxovirinae / physiology*
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / metabolism
  • Trypsin / metabolism
  • Viral Proteins / metabolism
  • Virus Diseases / veterinary*
  • Virus Diseases / virology

Substances

  • Viral Proteins
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
  • ACE2 protein, human
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
  • Trypsin
  • GTP-Binding Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants to GH from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB621 TP B7, SFB587 TP A1) and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Ecology and Pathogenesis of SARS, an Archetypical Zoonosis, project code 01Kl1005B and FluResearchNet, project code 01KI1006D). CD was supported by a grant from Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Ecology and Pathogenesis of SARS, an Archetypical Zoonosis, project code 01KIO701). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.