Rafael Sanjuán

A study carried out by the Institute of Integrative Biology of Systems (I2SysBio, UV-CSIC) reveals that viruses enveloped with a lipid envelope can better infect different species of animals, including humans. The flu, HIV or coronaviruses are enveloped viruses. This work allows us to fine-tune surveillance tools to control zoonoses, the passage of these viruses from animals to people. style="color:black">

Viruses are the most numerous organisms on Earth. Thousands are already known, but there are millions to be discovered. To enter the host they need to live, viruses deploy different strategies. After analyzing 12,000 virus-host associations, a research group from the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I²SysBio) – a joint center of the University of Valencia (UV) and the Higher Scientific Research Council (CSIC) – has observed that enveloped viruses – those that have a lipid outer covering – have a greater capacity to infect multiple species and present a greater risk of jumping from animals to humans. The work, which contradicts previous studies, is published in the journal PNAS. style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Led by the University of Valencia researcher Rafael Sanjuán, the study investigates the properties that make a virus more or less likely to infect new species and, in particular, to jump from animals to humans. To do this, the I²SysBio team used data obtained by various methods including metagenomics (a tool capable of detecting the genetic material of viruses in environmental samples) to study 5,149 viruses and 1,599 host species, by analyzing a total of 12,000 interactions. Their results are highlighted in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Wrapped for camouflage or better blending

The lipid envelope that some viruses have is derived from the surface of the cells they infect. This envelope gives viruses a greater ability to penetrate cells of different types, including cells of other species. The study reveals that enveloped viruses tend to infect more host species and are more likely to infect humans than non-enveloped viruses, while other viral traits such as genome composition, structure, size or viral replication compartment play a minor role. style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>“We have been able to analyze the viral properties associated with host jumping, on the one hand, and infection in humans, on the other, with greater reliability than previous studies had,” comments Rafael Sanjuán, who leads an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). “The results contrast with the previous idea that viral envelopes have little or even reduced zoonotic risk, which should help better prioritize outbreak prevention efforts,” he adds. style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Knowing which type of virus is most likely to cross the species barrier can help guide surveillance programs for new viruses, something whose importance has become clear with the emergence of the epidemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. "It is no coincidence that the vast majority of emerging human viruses such as HIV, Zika and Ebola viruses, SARS-CoV-2 or monkeypox, among others, are enveloped viruses. This suggests that we should prioritize the surveillance of this type of virus," he summarizes. Sanjuán.

Reference: Ana Valero-Rello, Rafael Sanjuán, Enveloped viruses show increased propensity to cross-species transmission and zoonosis, PNAS Vol. 119, No. 50, December 13, 2022.

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