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Genotype shift in human coronavirus OC43 and emergence of a novel genotype by natural recombination.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Human coronavirus (HCoV) OC43 is the most prevalent HCoV in respiratory tract infections. Its molecular epidemiological characterization, particularly the genotyping, was poorly addressed. METHODS:The full-length spike (S), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and nucleocapsid (N) genes were amplified from each respiratory sample collected from 65 HCoV-OC43-positive patients between 2005 and 2012. Genotypes were determined by phylogenetic analysis. Recombination was analyzed based on full-length viral genome sequences. Clinical manifestations of each HCoV genotype infection were compared by reviewing clinical records. RESULTS:Sixty of these 65 samples belong to genotypes B, C and D. The remaining five strains had incongruent positions in the phylogenetic trees of the S, RdRp and N genes, suggesting a novel genotype emerging, designated as genotype E. Whole genome sequencing and bootscan analysis indicated that genotype E is generated by recombination between genotypes B, C and D. Temporal analysis revealed a sequential genotype replacement of C, B, D and E over the study period with genotype D being the dominant genotype since 2007. The novel genotype E was only detected in children younger than three years suffering from lower respiratory tract infections. CONCLUSIONS:Our results suggest that HCoV-OC43 genotypes are evolving. Such genotype shift may be an adapting mechanism for HCoV-OC43 maintaining its epidemic.

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7112537 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genotype shift in human coronavirus OC43 and emergence of a novel genotype by natural recombination.

Zhang Yue Y Li Jianguo J Xiao Yan Y Zhang Jing J Wang Ying Y Chen Lan L Paranhos-Baccalà Gláucia G Ren Lili L Wang Jianwei J

The Journal of infection 20141218 6

<h4>Background</h4>Human coronavirus (HCoV) OC43 is the most prevalent HCoV in respiratory tract infections. Its molecular epidemiological characterization, particularly the genotyping, was poorly addressed.<h4>Methods</h4>The full-length spike (S), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and nucleocapsid (N) genes were amplified from each respiratory sample collected from 65 HCoV-OC43-positive patients between 2005 and 2012. Genotypes were determined by phylogenetic analysis. Recombination was ana ...[more]

PMID: 25530469

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Project description:We sequenced and compared the complete genomes of 22 strains of coronavirus HKU1 (CoV HKU1) obtained from nasopharyngeal aspirates of patients with respiratory tract infections over a 2-year period. Phylogenetic analysis of 24 putative proteins and polypeptides showed that the 22 CoV HKU1 strains fell into three clusters (genotype A, 13 strains; genotype B, 3 strains and genotype C, 6 strains). However, different phylogenetic relationships among the three clusters were observed in different regions of their genomes. From nsp4 to nsp6, the genotype A strains were clustered with the genotype B strains. For nsp7 and nsp8 and from nsp10 to nsp16, the genotype A strains were clustered with the genotype C strains. From hemagglutinin esterase (HE) to nucleocapsid (N), the genotype B strains were clustered closely with the genotype C strains. Bootscan analysis showed possible recombination between genotypes B and C from nucleotide positions 11,500 to 13,000, corresponding to the nsp6-nsp7 junction, giving rise to genotype A, and between genotypes A and B from nucleotide positions 21,500 to 22,500, corresponding to the nsp16-HE junction, giving rise to genotype C. Multiple alignments further narrowed the sites of crossover to a 143-bp region between nucleotide positions 11,750 and 11,892 and a 29-bp region between nucleotide positions 21,502 and 21,530. Genome analysis also revealed various numbers of tandem copies of a perfect 30-base acidic tandem repeat (ATR) which encodes NDDEDVVTGD and various numbers and sequences of imperfect repeats in the N terminus of nsp3 inside the acidic domain upstream of papain-like protease 1 among the 22 genomes. All 10 CoV HKU1 strains with incomplete imperfect repeats (1.4 and 4.4) belonged to genotype A. The present study represents the first evidence for natural recombination in coronavirus associated with human infection. Analysis of a single gene is not sufficient for the genotyping of CoV HKU1 strains but requires amplification and sequencing of at least two gene loci, one from nsp10 to nsp16 (e.g., pol or helicase) and another from HE to N (e.g., spike or N). Further studies will delineate whether the ATR is useful for the molecular typing of CoV HKU1.

Project description:Coronaviruses have been at the forefront of the news for the last 2 years. Unfortunately, SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent for the COVID-19 pandemic, must be manipulated in biosecurity level 3 settings, which significantly limits research. Meanwhile, several less pathogenic human coronaviruses (HCoV) exist and can be studied in much more common biosafety level 2 laboratories. Among them, HCoV-OC43 is a good surrogate candidate for SARS-CoV-2 since both are phylogenetically related human Betacoronaviruses. However, one issue has been the lack of standardized means among laboratories to propagate and titer this less virulent coronavirus. The present study probes the optimal parameters to propagate HCoV-OC43. First, testing of five different cell lines (MRC-5, Huh7.5, Vero, HCT-8, HRT-18) indicated that the physiologically relevant MRC-5 human lung cell line produced among the highest viral titers. HRT-18 may however be an interesting alternative as they are quick growing cells that also led to higher viral titers and a better tropism for various HCoV-OC43 variants. We also probed the impact of serum and temperature during viral expansion and confirmed that the normal temperature of the upper respiratory track (33 °C) improves viral yields over the typical 37 °C used to grow many other viruses. Meanwhile, we did not notice any evidence that serum concentrations significantly affected the virus but interestingly noted that the virus grew quite efficiently in a serum-free media formulation. Meanwhile sonication of viral stocks somewhat improved viral titers. Four titration methods (plaque assays, TCID50-CPE, TCID50-IFA and TCID50–IPA) were also probed using two cell lines (VeroE6 and HRT-18). In our hands, plaque assays proved unreliable and quantification of the virus by scoring CPE positive wells was significantly less sensitive than antibody-based assays (IFA and IPA). While the latter methods were equally sensitive, we favor the TCID50-IPA method since simpler, faster and cheaper than the IFA protocol. Moreover, the HRT-18 cells appeared more sensitive to quantify the virus. Perhaps most importantly, these optimized protocols routinely led to high titer viral stocks in the order of 108 TCID50/ml magnitude, which should fulfill the requirements of most experimental settings.

Dataset Information

Genotype shift in human coronavirus OC43 and emergence of a novel genotype by natural recombination.

Publications

Genotype shift in human coronavirus OC43 and emergence of a novel genotype by natural recombination.

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