ArticleCell2025
Molecular basis of convergent evolution of ACE2 receptor utilization among HKU5 coronaviruses.
Article in Cell, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed.
- Convergent use of aminopeptidase N receptor by hedgehog merbecoviruses.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Aminopeptidase N is a receptor for hedgehog merbecoviruses.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Addressing the zoonotic threat of merbecoviruses.Nature microbiology · 2026Review
- Structural basis for sarbecovirus Rc-o319 spike adaptation to Rhinolophus cornutus Bat ACE2 and constraints on switching to human ACE2.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infection elicit cross-neutralizing responses against clade 3 and 4 sarbecoviruses.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of MERS CoV, NL140422, and HKU4 spike protein nanoparticle vaccines.Npj viruses · 2026Article
- A stabilized MERS-CoV spike ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits robust and protective neutralizing antibody responses.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Development of a stable replicon system of a pangolin merbecovirus for antiviral screening.Virologica Sinica · 2026Article
- Broad beta-CoV immunity and transmission blockade by a single-dose live-attenuated vaccine with atypical codon usage.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Structural Insights into the Receptor-Binding Domain of Bat Coronavirus HKU5-CoV-2: Implications for Zoonotic Transmission via ACE2.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Structural basis for human DPP4 receptor recognition by MERS-like coronaviruses 2014-422 and GX2012.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- A neutralizing human antibody induces movement of the HCoV-229E receptor binding domain.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Structural and catalytic diversity of coronavirus proofreading exoribonuclease.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Molecular insights into species-specific ACE2 recognition of coronavirus HKU5.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Article
- HKU25 clade MERS-related coronaviruses use ACE2 as a functional receptor.Nature microbiology · 2025Article
- Novel ACE2 binding in bat merbecoviruses expands potential host range.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Structural and phenotypic plasticity of the RBD loop2 region is a key determinant for HKU5r-CoVs' emergence in mink.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Recombination alters the receptor binding and furin cleavage site in novel bat-borne HKU5-CoV-2 coronavirus.Microbiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Antisera and antivirals targeting the conserved domains in SARS-CoV-2 S2 subunit are effective against ACE2-using MERSr-CoVs with spillover potential.Virologica Sinica · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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17 authors.
Funding
Abstract
DPP4 was considered a canonical receptor for merbecoviruses until the recent discovery of African bat-borne MERS-related coronaviruses using ACE2. The extent and diversity of ACE2 utilization among merbecoviruses and their receptor species tropism remain unknown. Here, we reveal that HKU5 enters host cells utilizing Pipistrellus abramus (P.abr) and several non-bat mammalian ACE2s through a binding mode distinct from that of any other known ACE2-using coronaviruses. We defined the molecular determinants of receptor species tropism and identified a single amino acid mutation enabling HKU5 to utilize human ACE2, providing proof of principle for machine-learning-assisted outbreak preparedness. We show that MERS-CoV and HKU5 have markedly distinct antigenicity and identified several HKU5 inhibitors, including two clinical compounds. Our findings profoundly alter our understanding of coronavirus evolution, as several merbecovirus clades independently evolved ACE2 utilization, and pave the way for developing countermeasures against viruses poised for human emergence.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.