Analysis the molecular similarity of least common amino acid sites in ACE2 receptor to predict the potential susceptible species for SARS-CoV-2 (preprint)

This research offers a bioinformatics approach to forecasting both domestic and wild animals' likelihood of being susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Genomic sequencing can resolve phylogenetic relationships between the virus and the susceptible host. The genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 is highly interactive with the specific sequence region of the ACE2 receptor of the host species. We further evaluate this concept to identify the most important SARS-CoV-2 binding amino acid sites in the ACE2 receptor sequence through the common similarity of the last common amino acid sites (LCAS) in known susceptible host species. Therefore, the SARS-CoV-2 viral genomic interacting key amino acid region in the ACE2 receptor sequence of known susceptible human host was summarized and compared with other reported known SARS-CoV-2 susceptible host species. We identified the 10 most significant amino acid sites for interaction with SARS-CoV-2 infection from the ACE2 receptor sequence region based on the LCAS similarity pattern in known sensitive SARS-CoV-2 hosts. The most significant 10 LCAS were further compared with ACE2 receptor sequences of unknown species to evaluate the similarity of the last common amino acid pattern (LCAP). We predicted the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in unknown species through the LCAS similarity pattern. This method can be used as a screening tool to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in domestic and wild animals to prevent outbreaks of infection.

Birds carry a diversity of significant viruses in their virome (preprint)

Birds can carry and transmit viruses to humans and other animals. Thus, understanding the viral community hosted by birds could help us predict future outbreaks of human disease. A recent metagenomics study took a broad look at the viruses found in the gut of wild and captive birds. The dataset included samples from over 3,000 birds that represented over 87 species and 10 different phylogenetic orders and the researchers characterized genomes from numerous viral families including astroviruses, coronaviruses, parvoviruses, and adenoviruses. Examining trends, they found that wild birds had higher viral diversity than captive birds. There was also evidence of potential cross-species transmission between wild birds and domestic poultry. Further analysis of the viral genomic sequences revealed differences in virus distribution patterns between wild and captive birds. Different phylogenetic orders of birds and geographic sites also had distinct distribution patterns. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in virus distribution patterns between migratory and resident birds. While further studies are needed to explore the diversity and potential pathogenicity of these viruses in more detail, this study expanded our understanding of viral diversity in birds.