Progress in cross-species transmission of human coronaviruses (HCoVs)

Abstract

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a group of ancient and common viruses, posing a severe threat to the health of humans and other animals. Currently, seven human CoVs (HCoVs) have been identified. They are all animal-derived zoonotic pathogens that jump the species barrier from their natural host animals to humans in a direct or indirect manner and lead to interpersonal transmission. The receptor binding domain (RBD) on the S1 subunit of CoV spike (S) protein is one of the key factors determining the cross-species transmission and the invasion potential. This review summarized and analyzed the transmission modes of seven HCoVs and the available structures of HCoV-RBD that mediated the cross-species transmission in order to better understanding the mechanism of CoV cross-species transmission and providing valuable knowledge in response to the potential cross-species transmission of novel CoVs in the future. Key words: Human coronavirus (HCoV); Spike (S) protein; C-terminal domain (CTD); Receptor binding domain (RBD); Cross-species transmission; Structure