Bat gene offers insight

Bat gene offers insight

Five years out of the Covid-19 outbreak, scientists around the world are still studying its effects and, more importantly, how these effects can be mitigated in the future. An international team of researchers may have just found a critical clue to the search, and a lab at Texas Tech University played a key role.

The Ray Laboratory, led by Professor and Associate Chairman of the Ministry of Life Sciences David Ray, as part of a study on bat genomes published by the Scientific JournalNaturehelped identify the components of a genome in a particular species of bats that have shown more genetic adaptations in their immune systems than other animals.

The study found that a gene common in some bats can reduce production of the SARS-COV-2 virus by up to 90%, which could help guide new medical approaches to combat viral diseases.

“Bats have an amazing ability to withstand some of the worst effects of viral infection that make us so vulnerable to certain diseases,” Ray said. “While we get very sick, the bats barely blink an eye when we are exposed to the same pathogens.”

Ray said his lab helped annotate the genome arrangements in the bats. Genome annotation is how scientists characterize all components of the genome - the genes, regulatory sequences, and non-coding and coding regions. The Texas Tech Lab identified the transposable element (TE) regions of the assemblies, where bits of DNA can create new copies of themselves and introduce variations within the genome.

Ray says bats have a unique TE repertoire among mammals, offering a potentially powerful opportunity to generate new genetic ways to deal with pathogens like the coronavirus.

"If every individual of a species were genetically identical, they would all have the same risk associated with infection - if one dies, they all die," Ray said. “TEs are a great way for organisms to generate species genetic diversity so that some individuals can survive better in the face of environmental pressures such as viral diseases.”

This study is part of a larger international project called BAT1K, which seeks to sequence and assemble the genomes of every living bat species according to Ray. It was led by the Senckenberg Research Institute and the Natural History Museum in Frankfurt.

Michael Hiller, professor of comparative genomics at Goethe University and member of the Senckenberg Institute, is one of the study's main researchers. He and Ray are both members of the Executive Board of the BAT1K consortium, and their relationship provided Ray's laboratory with the perfect opportunity to collaborate with the international scientific community.

The laboratory studies genomes and genome evolution with a focus on TEs. Her previous studies have included genomic research on bats and other mammals, crocodiles and various insects. The lab has worked in the past with companies such as the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the State of Texas, and the Texas Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Researchers in this recent study paid particular attention to the ISG15 gene, which is linked to severe Covid-19 in humans. Bats are known to carry numerous viruses, including those that are transmitted to humans, but show no symptoms of disease when infected.

The ISG15 gene from bats, the study showed, can reduce the production of the SARS-COV-2 virus by 80-90%. In contrast, the ISG15 gene of a human genome did not show any antiviral effect in this study.

Therefore, the ISG15 gene is likely one of several factors that contribute to resistance to viral diseases in bats. These promising results can be used as a basis for further experimental studies needed to decipher the unique adaptations of the bat immune system. “

Michael Hiller, Professor of Comparative Genomics, Goethe University

Sources: