英国《自然》杂志网络版3月13日刊登报告说，荷兰研究人员找到了近来广受关注的新型冠状病毒入侵人体的途径，这将有助开发防治新型冠状病毒感染的新方法。
荷兰伊拉斯谟医疗中心等机构研究人员报告说，在人体呼吸道一些细胞的表面存在一种名为“二肽基肽酶-4”的蛋白质，它就是新型冠状病毒感染的受体，即病毒会与这种蛋白质结合，以它们为“登陆点”附着到呼吸道细胞上，随之进一步侵入和感染人体。
研究显示，如果使用特定抗体影响细胞表面的这种蛋白质，新型冠状病毒在失去“登陆点”后，就无法再感染这些细胞；相反，如果改造一些本来不受新型冠状病毒感染的细胞，使其表面出现这种蛋白质，这些细胞就会开始受到新型冠状病毒感染。
这一发现有助于开发防治新型冠状病毒感染的方法，但也揭示这种病毒有较大的潜在威胁。因为蛋白质“二肽基肽酶-4”不仅存在于人体细胞中，还存在于蝙蝠和其他许多动物体内，新型冠状病毒可能利用这种蛋白质在多个物种之间持续传播。目前有观点认为，本次新型冠状病毒疫情的源头就是蝙蝠。
新型冠状病毒疫情自去年发生以来，全球已报告15个感染病例，其中9人死亡。这种病毒与曾引起巨大恐慌的“非典”(SARS)病毒同属冠状病毒，因此广受关注。但基因分析显示，与新型冠状病毒最接近的是2008年在荷兰发现的一种蝙蝠冠状病毒，而不是SARS病毒。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1038/nature12005
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Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 is a functional receptor for the emerging human coronavirus-EMC
V. Stalin Raj, Huihui Mou, Saskia L. Smits, Dick H. W. Dekkers, Marcel A. Müller, Ronald Dijkman, Doreen Muth, Jeroen A. A. Demmers, Ali Zaki, Ron A. M. Fouchier, Volker Thiel, Christian Drosten, Peter J. M. Rottier, Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus, Berend Jan Bosch & Bart L. Haagmans
Most human coronaviruses cause mild upper respiratory tract disease but may be associated with more severe pulmonary disease in immunocompromised individuals1. However, SARS coronavirus caused severe lower respiratory disease with nearly 10% mortality and evidence of systemic spread2. Recently, another coronavirus (human coronavirus-Erasmus Medical Center (hCoV-EMC)) was identified in patients with severe and sometimes lethal lower respiratory tract infection3, 4. Viral genome analysis revealed close relatedness to coronaviruses found in bats5. Here we identify dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4; also known as CD26) as a functional receptor for hCoV-EMC. DPP4 specifically co-purified with the receptor-binding S1 domain of the hCoV-EMC spike protein from lysates of susceptible Huh-7 cells. Antibodies directed against DPP4 inhibited hCoV-EMC infection of primary human bronchial epithelial cells and Huh-7 cells. Expression of human and bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) DPP4 in non-susceptible COS-7 cells enabled infection by hCoV-EMC. The use of the evolutionarily conserved DPP4 protein from different species as a functional receptor provides clues about the host range potential of hCoV-EMC. In addition, it will contribute critically to our understanding of the pathogenesis and epidemiology of this emerging human coronavirus, and may facilitate the development of intervention strategies.
