COVID-19: Pangolins have evolutionary advantage against Coronavirus, may hold clues to how it can end - Times Now

COVID-19: Pangolins have evolutionary advantage against Coronavirus, may hold clues to how it can end& | &nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspiStock Images

Key Highlights

The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China, and has spread to over 200 countries and territories, all across the world
Pangolins, an endangered species of mammals have been called the 'missing link' between bats and humans, for the contraction of the virus
Researchers have recently found that pangolins have an evolutionary advantage against coronavirus, understanding which can help find treatment against the deadly virus

New Delhi: The novel coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, has shocked the world with the damage it has inflicted on the world and continues to do so without a cure, or vaccine available against the virus as yet. The origin of the virus has been under question for various political and medical reasons, and while the origin of the virus is believed to be bats, pangolins were touted as the missing link between bats and humans. Studies said that the virus could not have latched itself on to human protein directly from the bats.

However, it looks like the endangered mammals – pangolins, possesses an evolutionary advantage against the novel coronavirus, researchers who are trying to understand the animal's immune system have said. Researchers believe that the cure or treatment against COVID-19 could lie with the pangolins.

Pangolins may possess an evolutionary advantage against novel coronavirus

The research was conducted by scientists from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, where they found that certain genes sense when a virus enters the body, and trigger an immune response in most mammals. They found in the study that pangolins, which have been called the 'missing link' between bats and humans, lack two of those virus-sensing genes. This means that not only are the endangered species a carrier, but they also seem to be immune to it, via an unknown mechanism.

This evolutionary advantage and its understanding may give way to possible treatment options for coronavirus in humans, researchers whose study was published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology said.

Genome sequences of other mammals including humans, cats, dogs, and cattle were also compared to those of pangolins.

"Our work shows that pangolins have survived through millions of years of evolution without a type of antiviral defence that is used by all other mammals," says study co-author Leopold Eckhart from the Medical University of Vienna.
"Further studies of pangolins will uncover how they manage to survive viral infections, and this might help to devise new treatment strategies for people with viral infections," Eckhart said, reported PTI.
While the study identified genetic differences between pangolins and other mammals, the scientists said they did not investigate the impact of those differences on the antiviral response.

Eckhart said another gene, RIG-I, another gene that acts as a sensor against viruses in the body, should also be studied further as it could defend against coronaviruses.

The study may offer a better understanding of how the viral spread began, the responses of the body to novel coronavirus, and how it can end.