{
  "abstract": "Merbecoviruses, closely related to the highly pathogenetic Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), circulate in hedgehogs throughout Europe and Asia, raising concerns about zoonotic transmission to humans and domestic animals. Unfortunately, how these viruses enter host cells remains unknown, hindering experimental studies. Here, we tested known coronavirus receptor orthologues from European hedgehogs ( Erinaceus europaeus ) and identified Aminopeptidase N (APN) as an entry receptor for hedgehog merbecoviruses. We confirm this result with single-cycle pseudotype and replication-competent virus experiments as well as protein binding assays. A screen of 30 mammalian APN orthologues reveals restricted cross-species receptor use. Cryo-electron microscopy analysis of the viral glycoprotein–receptor complex shows a unique interface distinct from known coronavirus spike:APN interactions, providing a molecular basis for species barriers. These findings expand the known range of receptor use not only within merbecoviruses but also betacoronaviruses, improving our understanding of betacoronavirus receptors, and informing risk assessments for viral emergence.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
    "Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA",
    "Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA",
    "Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Heath, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA",
    "Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy",
    "Virology Department, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy",
    "Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA",
    "Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA",
    "Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA",
    "Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
    "Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA. michael.letko@wsu.edu"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 24,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Min Jin",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-1155-9890"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Victoria A. Jefferson",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3056-1813"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Zhe Zhao",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4119-0504"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Nicholas Catanzaro",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0210-8440"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Luca De Sabato",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9995-8195"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Emma L. Keeler",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8768-0592"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Bridget L. Menasché",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3520-2422"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "C E Hoffman"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Boyd L. Yount",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6099-8429"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Anna Castelli",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4451-7330"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ilaria Di Bartolo",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5674-1332"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Gabriele Vaccari",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0215-3521"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Tyler N. Starr",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6713-6904"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Stephanie N. Seifert",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4397-6156"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Adrian A. Castellanos",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3412-0487"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Barbara A. Han",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9948-3078"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Leonid Serebryannyy",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0213-1779"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Alicen Burns Spaulding",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4687-3259"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Daniel C. Douek",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5575-8634"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Ana Moreno"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ralph Steven Baric",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6827-8701"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Craig B. Wilen",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2495-9403"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        9
      ],
      "name": "James M. Rini",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0952-2409"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10
      ],
      "name": "Michael C. Letko",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7640-2861"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/41246djvks600.bib",
  "cited_by": 13,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41564-026-02447-8",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13716826/",
  "id": "41246djvks600",
  "issns": [
    "2058-5276"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02447-8",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
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      "openalex",
      "2725|SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research"
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  "openalex": "W7213364543",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC12425009",
  "pmid": "40950050",
  "published": "2026-09-16",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/41246djvks600.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:26:56Z",
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  "subjects": [
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      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2725|SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
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  ],
  "title": "Aminopeptidase N is a receptor for hedgehog merbecoviruses",
  "title_text": "Aminopeptidase N is a receptor for hedgehog merbecoviruses",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-06T13:20:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/41246djvks600",
  "venue": "Nature Microbiology",
  "versions": []
}