In December 2019, a new betacoronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), appeared in Wuhan, China. SARS-CoV-2 is the third zoonotic human coronavirus in this century to cause an epidemic. For entry into host cells SARS-CoV-2 recognizes the ACE2 receptor (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) on host cells via the receptor binding domain of the S protein. SARS-CoV-2 can also be transmitted from human to animal. The primary structure of ACE2 displays very high amino acid sequence similarity in humans and different animal species. Due to the similar target proteins for SARS-CoV-2 virus binding to human target proteins, some domestic animal species represent a potential reservoir for virus replication and may cause (re) spread of infection in the human population. I determined the DNA sequence of the ACE2 receptor of several krškopoljski pigs, and tried to predict whether they might represent a potential reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. I have found that ACE2 receptors in krškopoljski pigs differ from human ACE2 in some of the key amino acids to which SARS-CoV-2 binds, and therefore are most likely not at high risk for infection with this virus.
|
