ArticleNature2026
Heart-nosed bat alphacoronaviruses use human CEACAM6 to enter cells.
Article in Nature, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Breadth of ACE2 receptor usage predicts host range and antigenic relatedness across bat sarbecoviruses.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Convergent receptor use at the coronavirus One Health interface.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Convergent use of aminopeptidase N receptor by hedgehog merbecoviruses.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Merbecoviruses exploit APN for entry: expanding the receptor toolkit of betacoronaviruses.Science China. Life sciences · 2026Article
- Endocytic CEACAM receptor loss and lack of positive selection in CEACAM1 of birds and snakes indicate absence of pathogen-CEACAM1 interactions in some reptiles.Research square · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Identifying viruses with zoonotic potential on the basis of their ability to enter human cells is a critical component of pandemic prediction, prevention and preparedness. Here using a computational approach that retains maximum phylogenetic diversity, we selected an optimal subset of alphacoronavirus spike proteins to screen against broad coronavirus receptor libraries. Most of the selected spike proteins did not use any of the established coronavirus receptors. However, the pseudotyped spike protein of Cardioderma cor (heart-nosed bat) coronavirus KY43 (CcCoV-KY43) could enter human cells. Using a recombinant CcCoV receptor-binding domain (RBD) and a human receptor screening platform, we identified direct interactions with the human CEACAM proteins CEACAM3, CEACAM5 and CEACAM6. Overexpression of human CEACAM6-a protein widely expressed in the human lung-conferred permissivity to otherwise refractory human cells. A crystal structure showed that the RBD binds the amino-terminal IgV-like domain of human CEACAM6. Immune surveillance studies using sera of individuals from the Taveta region of Kenya, where CcCoV-KY43 was identified, did not show significant evidence of recent spillover. Wider characterization of alphacoronaviruses related to CcCoV-KY43 showed that human CEACAM6 is used by two other CcCoVs collected in Kenya. Moreover, there was more restricted nonhuman CEACAM6 tropism for viruses isolated from Rhinolophus bats from Russia and China. Thus, alphacoronaviruses that use CEACAM6 are probably geographically widespread, and viruses from East Africa show potential for transmission to humans.
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Registered trials
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.