Merbecovirus | |
---|---|
MERS-CoV: structure, attachment, viral entry, and genomic composition | |
Virus classification | |
(unranked): | Virus |
Realm: | Riboviria |
Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
Phylum: | Pisuviricota |
Class: | Pisoniviricetes |
Order: | Nidovirales |
Family: | Coronaviridae |
Genus: | Betacoronavirus |
Subgenus: | Merbecovirus |
Species [1] | |
Merbecovirus is a subgenus of viruses in the genus Betacoronavirus, including the human pathogen Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus (MERS-CoV). [1] The viruses in this subgenus were previously known as group 2c coronaviruses. [2] [3]
The viruses of this subgenus, like other coronaviruses, have a lipid bilayer envelope in which the membrane (M), envelope (E) and spike (S) structural proteins are anchored. [4] [5]
See figure 2.
CoVs are classified into four genera, Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus, Gammacoronavirus and Deltacoronavirus. Within Betacoronavirus, they can be further subclassified into lineages A, B, C and D [1]. In 2018, these four lineages were reclassified as subgenera of Betacoronavirus, and renamed as Embecovirus (previous lineage A), Sarbecovirus (previous lineage B), Merbecovirus (previous lineage C) and Nobecovirus (previous lineage D) [2]. In addition, a fifth subgenus, Hibecovirus, was also included (Figure 1) [2].
The presence of HE genes exclusively in members of Betacoronavirus subgroup A, but not members of Betacoronavirus subgroup B, C and D suggested that the recombination had probably occurred in the ancestor of members of Betacoronavirus subgroup A, after diverging from the ancestor of other subgroups of Betacoronavirus.