Discovery and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Henipavirus, Angavokely Virus, from Fruit Bats in MadagascarSharline Madera, Amy Kistler, Hafaliana C. Ranaivoson, Vida Ahyong, Angelo Andrianiaina, Santino Andry, Vololoniaina Raharinosy, Tsiry H. Randriambolamanantsoa, Ny Anjara Fifi Ravelomanantsoa, Cristina M. Tato, Joseph L. DeRisi, Hector C. Aguilar, Vincent Lacoste, Philippe Dussart, Jean-Michel Heraud, Cara E. Brook
Journal of Virology, 2022Abstract: The genus Henipavirus (family Paramyxoviridae) currently comprises seven viruses, four of which have demonstrated prior evidence of zoonotic capacity. These include the biosafety level 4 agents Hendra (HeV) and Nipah (NiV) viruses, which circulate naturally in pteropodid fruit bats. Here, we describe and characterize Angavokely virus (AngV), a divergent henipavirus identified in urine samples from wild, Madagascar fruit bats. We report the nearly complete 16,740-nucleotide genome of AngV, which encodes the six major henipavirus structural proteins (nucleocapsid, phosphoprotein, matrix, fusion, glycoprotein, and L polymerase). Within the phosphoprotein (P) gene, we identify an alternative start codon encoding the AngV C protein and a putative mRNA editing site where the insertion of one or two guanine residues encodes, respectively, additional V and W proteins. In other paramyxovirus systems, C, V, and W are accessory proteins involved in antagonism of host immune responses during infection. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that AngV is ancestral to all four previously described bat henipaviruses—HeV, NiV, Cedar virus (CedV), and Ghanaian bat virus (GhV)—but evolved more recently than rodent- and shrew-derived henipaviruses, Mojiang (MojV), Gamak (GAKV), and Daeryong (DARV) viruses. Predictive structure-based alignments suggest that AngV is unlikely to bind ephrin receptors, which mediate cell entry for all other known bat henipaviruses. Identification of the AngV receptor is needed to clarify the virus’s potential host range. The presence of V and W proteins in the AngV genome suggest that the virus could be pathogenic following zoonotic spillover.
