Variants with the N501Y mutation extend SARS-CoV-2 host range to mice, with contact transmission

  1. Xavier Montagutelli
  2. Matthieu Prot
  3. Laurine Levillayer
  4. Eduard Baquero Salazar
  5. Grégory Jouvion
  6. Laurine Conquet
  7. Maxime Beretta
  8. Flora Donati
  9. Mélanie Albert
  10. Fabiana Gambaro
  11. Sylvie Behillil
  12. Vincent Enouf
  13. Dominique Rousset
  14. Hugo Mouquet
  15. Jean Jaubert
  16. Felix Rey
  17. Sylvie van der Werf
  18. Etienne Simon-Loriere

Reviewed by

Read the full article See related articles

Listed in

Log in to save this article

Abstract

Receptor recognition is a major determinant of viral host range, infectivity and pathogenesis. Emergences have been associated with serendipitous events of adaptation upon encounters with novel hosts, and the high mutation rate of RNA viruses may explain their frequent host shifts. SARS-CoV-2 extensive circulation in humans results in the emergence of variants, including variants of concern (VOCs) with diverse mutations notably in the spike, and increased transmissibility or immune escape. Here we show that, unlike the initial and Delta variants, the three VOCs bearing the N501Y mutation can infect common laboratory mice. Contact transmission occurred from infected to naive mice through two passages. This host range expansion likely results from an increased binding of the spike to the mouse ACE2. Together with the observed contact transmission, it raises the possibility of wild rodent secondary reservoirs enabling the emergence of new variants.

Article activity feed

  1. Version published to 10.1101/2021.03.18.436013v2 on bioRxiv
  2. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2021.03.18.436013: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Institutional Review Board Statementnot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    Software and Algorithms
    SentencesResources
    Materials and Methods:
    Methods
    suggested: None

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: An explicit section about the limitations of the techniques employed in this study was not found. We encourage authors to address study limitations.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  3. Version published to 10.1101/2021.03.18.436013v1 on bioRxiv