Dataset Information

Phylogenetic analysis of human coronavirus NL63 circulating in Italy.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Five known human coronaviruses infect the human respiratory tract: HCoV-OC43, HCoV-229E, SARS-CoV, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU1. OBJECTIVES:To evaluate the prevalence of HCoV-NL63 in hospitalized adult patients and to perform molecular characterization of Italian strains. STUDY DESIGN:HCoV-NL63 was sought by RT-PCR in 510 consecutive lower respiratory tract (LRT) samples, collected from 433 Central-Southern Italy patients over a 1-year period. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by partial sequencing of S and ORF1a. Additional S sequences from Northern Italy were included in the phylogenetic trees. RESULTS:HCoV-NL63 was detected in 10 patients (2.0%) with symptomatic respiratory diseases, mainly during winter. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a certain degree of heterogeneity in Italian isolates. The ORF1a gene clustering in phylogenetic trees did not match with that of the S gene. CONCLUSIONS:As observed by others, HCoV-NL63 is often associated with another virus. Phylogenetic characterization of HCoV-NL63 circulating in Italy indicates that this virus circulates as a mixture of variant strains, as observed in other countries.

SUBMITTER: Minosse C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7108392 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Phylogenetic analysis of human coronavirus NL63 circulating in Italy.

Minosse C C Selleri M M Zaniratti M S MS Cappiello G G Spanò A A Schifano E E Lauria F N FN Gualano G G Puro V V Campanini G G Gerna G G Capobianchi M R MR

Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology 20080703 1

<h4>Background</h4>Five known human coronaviruses infect the human respiratory tract: HCoV-OC43, HCoV-229E, SARS-CoV, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU1.<h4>Objectives</h4>To evaluate the prevalence of HCoV-NL63 in hospitalized adult patients and to perform molecular characterization of Italian strains.<h4>Study design</h4>HCoV-NL63 was sought by RT-PCR in 510 consecutive lower respiratory tract (LRT) samples, collected from 433 Central-Southern Italy patients over a 1-year period. Phylogenetic analysis wa ...[more]

PMID: 18602337

Similar Datasets

Project description:Coronaviruses are responsible for upper and lower respiratory tract infections in humans. It is estimated that 1 to 10% of the population suffers annually from cold-like symptoms related to infection with human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63), an alphacoronavirus. The nucleocapsid (N) protein, the major structural component of the capsid, facilitates RNA packing, links the capsid to the envelope, and is also involved in multiple other processes, including viral replication and evasion of the immune system. Although the role of N protein in viral replication is relatively well described, no structural data are currently available regarding the N proteins of alphacoronaviruses. Moreover, our understanding of the mechanisms of RNA binding and nucleocapsid formation remains incomplete. In this study, we solved the crystal structures of the N- and C-terminal domains (NTD, residues 10 to 140, and CTD, residues 221 to 340, respectively) of the N protein of HCoV-NL63, both at a 1.5-Å resolution. Based on our structure of NTD solved here, we proposed and experimentally evaluated a model of RNA binding. The structure of the CTD reveals the mode of N protein dimerization. Overall, this study expands our understanding of the initial steps of N protein-nucleic acid interaction and may facilitate future efforts to control the associated infections.IMPORTANCE Coronaviruses are responsible for the common cold and other respiratory tract infections in humans. According to multiple studies, 1 to 10% of the population is infected each year with HCoV-NL63. Viruses are relatively simple organisms composed of a few proteins and the nucleic acids that carry the information determining their composition. The nucleocapsid (N) protein studied in this work protects the nucleic acid from the environmental factors during virus transmission. This study investigated the structural arrangement of N protein, explaining the first steps of its interaction with nucleic acid at the initial stages of virus structure assembly. The results expand our understanding of coronavirus physiology and may facilitate future efforts to control the associated infections.

Dataset Information

Phylogenetic analysis of human coronavirus NL63 circulating in Italy.

Publications

Phylogenetic analysis of human coronavirus NL63 circulating in Italy.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets