Collection | 03 February 2020
Coronavirus
To support urgent research to combat the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the
editorial teams at Nature Research have curated a collection of relevant articles. Our collection includes research into the
basic biology of… show more
SARS-CoV-2
A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory
disease in China
Phylogenetic and metagenomic analyses of the complete viral genome of a new coronavirus from the family Coronaviridae
reveal that the virus is closely related to a group of SARS-like coronaviruses found in bats in China.
      Fan Wu,
      Su Zhao ⋯
      Yong-Zhen Zhang
Article | Open Access | 3 Feb 2020 | Nature
A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new
coronavirus of probable bat origin
Characterization of full-length genome sequences from patients infected with a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) shows that the
sequences are nearly identical and indicates that the virus is related to a bat coronavirus.
       Peng Zhou,
       Xing-Lou Yang ⋯
       Zheng-Li Shi
Article | Open Access | 3 Feb 2020 | Nature
Coronavirus latest: First vaccine clinical trials begin in
United States
Updates on the respiratory illness that has infected tens of thousands of people and killed several thousand.
News | 13 Mar 2020 | Nature
What you need to know about the novel coronavirus
How science can help control the outbreak
      Dan Fox
Nature Video | 24 Jan 2020 | Nature
Coronavirus outbreak: what’s next?
Experts weigh up the best- and worst-case scenarios as the World Health Organization declares a global health emergency.
      Dyani Lewis
News Explainer | 31 Jan 2020 | Nature
China’s response to a novel coronavirus stands in stark
contrast to the 2002 SARS outbreak response
The strengthening of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been a turning point in outbreak responses
in the area. This represents very welcome progress and development for global health security and diplomacy.
       John Nkengasong
Comment | 27 Jan 2020 | Nature Medicine
Rapid outbreak response requires trust
As the international community responds to an outbreak of coronavirus-induced pneumonia in Wuhan, China, early and open
data sharing — which are vital for its control — depend on the trust that the data will not be used without proper attribution to
those who generated it.
Editorial | 22 Jan 2020 | Nature Microbiology
Functional assessment of cell entry and receptor usage
for SARS-CoV-2 and other lineage B betacoronaviruses
This study describes the development of an approach to rapidly screen lineage B betacoronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV and
the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2, for receptor usage and their ability to infect cell types from different species. Using it, they
confirm human… show more
       Michael Letko,
       Andrea Marzi &
       Vincent Munster
Article | 24 Feb 2020 | Nature Microbiology
Prevent and predict
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, the next pandemic could be prevented by ending the wildlife trade and reinvesting in the
monitoring of potential zoonoses.
Editorial | 20 Feb 2020 | Nature Ecology & Evolution
Biology of infection and viral
structure
A mouse model for MERS coronavirus-induced acute
respiratory distress syndrome
Mice made susceptible to MERS-CoV, using CRISPR–Cas9 to alter the gene encoding the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 receptor,
allow efficient viral replication in the lungs and display symptoms indicative of severe acute respiratory stress.
      Adam S. Cockrell,
      Boyd L. Yount ⋯
      Ralph S. Baric
Article | 28 Nov 2016 | Nature Microbiology
Precision mouse models with expanded tropism for
human pathogens
Implantation of lung tissue into humanized mice enables in vivo study of the human immune response to pathogens.
      Angela Wahl,
      Chandrav De ⋯
      J. Victor Garcia
Article | 26 Aug 2019 | Nature Biotechnology
Dampened NLRP3-mediated inflammation in bats and
implications for a special viral reservoir host
Dampened activation of the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in bat primary immune cells in
response to infection with multiple zoonotic viruses is caused by decreased transcriptional priming, the presence of a unique
splice variant and an… show more
       Matae Ahn,
       Danielle E. Anderson ⋯
       Lin-Fa Wang
Article | 25 Feb 2019 | Nature Microbiology
SKP2 attenuates autophagy through Beclin1-
ubiquitination and its inhibition reduces MERS-
Coronavirus infection
Here, Gassen et al. show that S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) is responsible for lysine-48-linked poly-
ubiquitination of beclin 1, resulting in its proteasomal degradation, and that inhibition of SKP2 enhances autophagy and
reduces replication of MERS coronavirus.
       Nils C. Gassen,
       Daniela Niemeyer ⋯
       Theo Rein
Article | Open Access | 18 Dec 2019 | Nature Communications
Early events during human coronavirus OC43 entry to
the cell
       Katarzyna Owczarek,
       Artur Szczepanski ⋯
       Krzysztof Pyrc
Article | Open Access | 8 May 2018 | Scientific Reports
Structural basis for human coronavirus attachment to
sialic acid receptors
Structural and functional analyses reveal how 9-O-acetyl sialic acid is recognized by the human coronavirus OC43 S
glycoprotein and how this interaction promotes viral entry.
       M. Alejandra Tortorici,
       Alexandra C. Walls ⋯
       David Veesler
Article | 3 Jun 2019 | Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Structures of MERS-CoV spike glycoprotein in complex
with sialoside attachment receptors
Cryo-EM structures of MERS-CoV S glycoprotein trimer in complex with different sialosides reveal how the virus engages with
sialylated receptors, providing insight into receptor specificity and selectivity.
       Young-Jun Park,
       Alexandra C. Walls ⋯
       David Veesler
Article | 2 Dec 2019 | Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Structure of the SARS-CoV nsp12 polymerase bound to
nsp7 and nsp8 co-factors
The pathogenic human coronaviruses SARS- and MERS-CoV can cause severe respiratory disease. Here the authors present
the 3.1Å cryo-EM structure of the SARS-CoV RNA polymerase nsp12 bound to its essential co-factors nsp7 and nsp8, which
is of interest for antiviral drug development.
       Robert N. Kirchdoerfer &
       Andrew B. Ward
Article | Open Access | 28 May 2019 | Nature Communications
Structural definition of a neutralization epitope on the
N-terminal domain of MERS-CoV spike glycoprotein
Antibodies that target the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the MERS-CoV spike remain poorly characterized. Here, Zhou et al.
report the structural and functional analysis of the NTD-targeting mAb 7D10 and show that it synergizes with antibodies
targeting the… show more
       Haixia Zhou,
       Yingzhu Chen ⋯
       Xinquan Wang
Article | Open Access | 11 Jul 2019 | Nature Communications
Stabilized coronavirus spikes are resistant to
conformational changes induced by receptor
recognition or proteolysis
       Robert N. Kirchdoerfer,
       Nianshuang Wang ⋯
       Andrew B. Ward
Article | Open Access | 24 Oct 2018 | Scientific Reports
Functional analysis of potential cleavage sites in the
MERS-coronavirus spike protein
       Hannah Kleine-Weber,
       Mahmoud Tarek Elzayat ⋯
       Stefan Pöhlmann
Article | Open Access | 9 Nov 2018 | Scientific Reports
ISG15 in antiviral immunity and beyond
Ubiquitin-like protein ISG15 is an interferon-induced protein that has been implicated as a central player in the host antiviral
response. In this Review, Perng and Lenschow provide new insights into how ISG15 restricts and shapes the host response to
viral… show more
       Yi-Chieh Perng &
       Deborah J. Lenschow
Review Article | 16 May 2018 | Nature Reviews Microbiology
Therapeutics and diagnostics
The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia calls for viral
vaccines
The outbreak of 2019-novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is caused by SARS-CoV-2 has spread rapidly in China, and
has developed to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. However, no specific antiviral treatments or
vaccines are available yet.… show more
       Weilong Shang,
      Yi Yang ⋯
      Xiancai Rao
Comment | Open Access | 6 Mar 2020 | npj Vaccines
Protective efficacy of a novel simian adenovirus
vaccine against lethal MERS-CoV challenge in a
transgenic human DPP4 mouse model
      Vincent J. Munster,
      Daniel Wells ⋯
      George M. Warimwe
Brief Communication | Open Access | 16 Oct 2017 | npj Vaccines
Therapeutic options for the 2019 novel coronavirus
(2019-nCoV)
Therapeutic options in response to the 2019-nCoV outbreak are urgently needed. Here, we discuss the potential for
repurposing existing antiviral agents to treat 2019-nCoV infection (now known as COVID-19), some of which are already
moving into clinical trials.
      Guangdi Li &
      Erik De Clercq
Comment | 10 Feb 2020 | Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
REASSURED diagnostics to inform disease control
strategies, strengthen health systems and improve
patient outcomes
A Perspective discussing the factors that have contributed to the success and failure of point-of-care tests for resource-limited
settings and the challenges and opportunities that exist for developing new infectious disease diagnostics.
       Kevin J. Land,
       Debrah I. Boeras ⋯
       Rosanna W. Peeling
Perspective | 13 Dec 2018 | Nature Microbiology
Comparative therapeutic efficacy of remdesivir and
combination lopinavir, ritonavir, and interferon beta
against MERS-CoV
Remdesivir (RDV) is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug with activity against MERS coronavirus, but in vivo efficacy has not been
evaluated. Here, the authors show that RDV has superior anti-MERS activity in vitro and in vivo compared to combination
therapy with… show more
       Timothy P. Sheahan,
       Amy C. Sims ⋯
       Ralph S. Baric
Article | Open Access | 10 Jan 2020 | Nature Communications
SREBP-dependent lipidomic reprogramming as a
broad-spectrum antiviral target
Viruses rely on host cell metabolism for replication, making these pathways potential therapeutic targets. Here, the authors
show that AM580, a retinoid derivative and RAR-α agonist, affects replication of several RNA viruses by interfering with the
activity of SREBP.
       Shuofeng Yuan,
       Hin Chu ⋯
       Kwok-Yung Yuen
Article | Open Access | 10 Jan 2019 | Nature Communications
Corticosteroid suppression of antiviral immunity
increases bacterial loads and mucus production in
COPD exacerbations
Corticosteroid therapy is frequently used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but its use is associated with
increased risk of pneumonia. Here the authors show that corticosteroid use impairs innate and adaptive immunity to rhinovirus
infection, which is restored by exogenous IFNβ.
       Aran Singanayagam,
       Nicholas Glanville ⋯
       Sebastian L. Johnston
Article | Open Access | 8 Jun 2018 | Nature Communications
Evaluation of a recombination-resistant coronavirus as
a broadly applicable, rapidly implementable vaccine
platform
Rachel Graham et al. show that coronaviruses with extensively rewired transcription regulatory networks are effective vaccine
candidates against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus. The reversion of live-attenuated vaccine strains to
virulence can be avoided with these vaccines.
       Rachel L. Graham,
       Damon J. Deming ⋯
       Ralph S. Baric
Article | Open Access | 29 Oct 2018 | Communications Biology
Development and Evaluation of a Multiplexed
Immunoassay for Simultaneous Detection of Serum IgG
Antibodies to Six Human Coronaviruses
       Suvang U. Trivedi,
       Congrong Miao ⋯
       Natalie J. Thornburg
Article | Open Access | 4 Feb 2019 | Scientific Reports
Deubiquitylating enzymes and drug discovery:
emerging opportunities
Deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) have been implicated in several human diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative
diseases, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, as well as infectious diseases. Here, Jackson and colleagues discuss the
pathological roles of DUBs,… show more
      Jeanine A. Harrigan,
      Xavier Jacq ⋯
      Stephen P. Jackson
Review Article | 29 Sep 2017 | Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Clinical metagenomics
Clinical metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is rapidly moving from bench to bedside. This Review discusses
the clinical applications of mNGS, including infectious disease diagnostics, microbiome analyses, host response analyses and
oncology applications.… show more
      Charles Y. Chiu &
      Steven A. Miller
Review Article | 27 Mar 2019 | Nature Reviews Genetics
Passive immunotherapy of viral infections: 'super-
antibodies' enter the fray
So-called super-antibodies are highly potent, broadly reactive antiviral antibodies that offer promise for the treatment of various
chronic and emerging viruses. This Review describes how recent technological advances led to their isolation from rare,
infected… show more
       Laura M. Walker &
       Dennis R. Burton
Review Article | 30 Jan 2018 | Nature Reviews Immunology
Epidemiology and evolution
We shouldn’t worry when a virus mutates during
disease outbreaks
Mutation. The word naturally conjures fears of unexpected and freakish changes. Ill-informed discussions of mutations thrive
during virus outbreaks, including the ongoing spread of SARS-CoV-2. In reality, mutations are a natural part of the virus life
cycle and rarely impact outbreaks dramatically.
       Nathan D. Grubaugh,
       Mary E. Petrone &
       Edward C. Holmes
Comment | 18 Feb 2020 | Nature Microbiology
Origin and evolution of pathogenic coronaviruses
Coronaviruses have a broad host range and distribution, and some highly pathogenic lineages have spilled over to humans
and animals. Here, Cui, Li and Shi explore the viral factors that enabled the emergence of diseases such as severe acute
respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome.
      Jie Cui,
      Fang Li &
      Zheng-Li Shi
Review Article | 10 Dec 2018 | Nature Reviews Microbiology
A new twenty-first century science for effective
epidemic response
We need to integrate the knowledge and skills from different disciplines and from communities all over the world to enable
effective responses to future epidemics.
      Juliet Bedford,
      Jeremy Farrar ⋯
      John Nkengasong
Review Article | 6 Nov 2019 | Nature
Precision epidemiology for infectious disease control
The emerging field of precision epidemiology allows the personalized diagnosis, tracking and treatment of infectious diseases.
      Jason T. Ladner,
      Nathan D. Grubaugh ⋯
      Kristian G. Andersen
Perspective | 6 Feb 2019 | Nature Medicine
Tracking virus outbreaks in the twenty-first century
This Review Article describes how recent advances in viral genome sequencing and phylogenetics have enabled key issues
associated with outbreak epidemiology to be more accurately addressed, and highlights the requirements and challenges for
generating, sharing and… show more
      Nathan D. Grubaugh,
      Jason T. Ladner ⋯
      Kristian G. Andersen
Review Article | 13 Dec 2018 | Nature Microbiology
Modelling microbial infection to address global health
challenges
      Meagan C. Fitzpatrick,
      Chris T. Bauch ⋯
      Alison P. Galvani
Perspective | 20 Sep 2019 | Nature Microbiology
Emerging viral diseases from a vaccinology
perspective: preparing for the next pandemic
Emerging viral diseases present a huge and increasingly important global threat to public health systems. Graham and
Sullivan discuss the challenges presented by emerging viral diseases and discuss how innovations in technology and policy
can address this threat.
      Barney S. Graham &
      Nancy J. Sullivan
Review Article | 14 Dec 2017 | Nature Immunology
Predicting zoonoses
As the line dividing human and wild habitats becomes thinner, we might be brewing the world's next big pandemic. Zoonoses
are diseases that are naturally transmitted between animals and humans, and a new project aims to predict their occurrence.
      Karl Gruber
Feature | 23 Mar 2017 | Nature Ecology & Evolution
Pathways to zoonotic spillover
Zoonotic diseases present a substantial global health burden. In this Opinion article, Plowrightet al. present an integrative
conceptual and quantitative model that reveals that all zoonotic pathogens must overcome a hierarchical series of barriers to
cause spillover infections in humans.
      Raina K. Plowright,
      Colin R. Parrish ⋯
      James O. Lloyd-Smith
Opinion | 30 May 2017 | Nature Reviews Microbiology
Towards a genomics-informed, real-time, global
pathogen surveillance system
Next-generation sequencing has the potential to support public health surveillance systems to improve the early detection of
emerging infectious diseases. This Review delineates the role of genomics in rapid outbreak response and the challenges that
need to be… show more
      Jennifer L. Gardy &
      Nicholas J. Loman
Review Article | 13 Nov 2017 | Nature Reviews Genetics
The phylogenomics of evolving virus virulence
The virulence of viruses is a major determinant of the health burden of viral infections in humans and other species. In this
article, Geoghegan and Holmes discuss how largely disparate research fields — theoretical modelling of virulence evolution
and experimental… show more
       Jemma L. Geoghegan &
       Edward C. Holmes
Review Article | 10 Oct 2018 | Nature Reviews Genetics
Fatal swine acute diarrhoea syndrome caused by an
HKU2-related coronavirus of bat origin
Analysis of viral samples from deceased piglets shows that a bat coronavirus was responsible for an outbreak of fatal disease
in China and highlights the importance of the identification of coronavirus diversity and distribution in bats in order to mitigate
future outbreaks of disease.
       Peng Zhou,
       Hang Fan ⋯
       Jing-Yun Ma
Letter | 4 Apr 2018 | Nature
Characterizing the dynamics underlying global spread
of epidemics
Understanding global epidemics spread is crucial for preparedness and response. Here the authors introduce an analytical
framework to study epidemic spread on air transport networks, and demonstrate its power to estimate key epidemic
parameters by application to the… show more
      Lin Wang &
      Joseph T. Wu
Article | Open Access | 15 Jan 2018 | Nature Communications
Comparative Analysis of Eleven Healthcare-Associated
Outbreaks of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus (Mers-Cov) from 2015 to 2017
      Sibylle Bernard-Stoecklin,
      Birgit Nikolay ⋯
      Maria D. Van Kerkhove
Article | Open Access | 14 May 2019 | Scientific Reports
Infection Prevention Measures for Surgical Procedures
during a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Outbreak in
a Tertiary Care Hospital in South Korea
       Jiyeon Park,
       Seung Yeon Yoo ⋯
       Jeong Jin Min
Article | Open Access | 15 Jan 2020 | Scientific Reports
Attenuation of replication by a 29 nucleotide deletion in
SARS-coronavirus acquired during the early stages of
human-to-human transmission
       Doreen Muth,
       Victor Max Corman ⋯
       Christian Drosten
Article | Open Access | 11 Oct 2018 | Scientific Reports
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