Bat pluripotent stem cells reveal unusual entanglement between host and viruses

@article{dejosez2026pluripotent,
  title = {{Bat pluripotent stem cells reveal unusual entanglement between host and viruses}},
  author = {Marion Déjosez and Arturo Marin and Graham Hughes and Ariadna Morales and Carlos Godoy-Parejo and Jonathan Gray and Yiren Qin and Arun Singh and Hui Xu and Javier Juste and Carlos Ibáñez and Kris White and Romel Rosales and Nancy Francoeur and Robert Sebra and Dominic Alcock and Thomas Volkert and Sébastien Puechmaille and Andrzej Pastusiak and Simon D.W. Frost and Michael Hiller and Richard a. Young and Emma C Teeling and Adolfo García-Sastre and Thomas Zwaka},
  journal = {Cell},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.011},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-04954922v1},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Bat pluripotent stem cells reveal unusual entanglement between host and viruses
AU  - Marion Déjosez
AU  - Arturo Marin
AU  - Graham Hughes
AU  - Ariadna Morales
AU  - Carlos Godoy-Parejo
AU  - Jonathan Gray
AU  - Yiren Qin
AU  - Arun Singh
AU  - Hui Xu
AU  - Javier Juste
AU  - Carlos Ibáñez
AU  - Kris White
AU  - Romel Rosales
AU  - Nancy Francoeur
AU  - Robert Sebra
AU  - Dominic Alcock
AU  - Thomas Volkert
AU  - Sébastien Puechmaille
AU  - Andrzej Pastusiak
AU  - Simon D.W. Frost
AU  - Michael Hiller
AU  - Richard a. Young
AU  - Emma C Teeling
AU  - Adolfo García-Sastre
AU  - Thomas Zwaka
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/07
JO  - Cell
DO  - 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.011
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-04954922v1
AB  - Bats are distinctive among mammals due to their ability to fly, use laryngeal echolocation, and tolerate viruses. However, there are currently no reliable cellular models for studying bat biology or their response to viral infections. Here, we created induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from two species of bats: the wild greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) and the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis). The iPSCs from both bat species showed similar characteristics and had a gene expression profile resembling that of cells attacked by viruses. They also had a high number of endogenous viral sequences, particularly retroviruses. These results suggest that bats have evolved mechanisms to tolerate a large load of viral sequences and may have a more intertwined relationship with viruses than previously thought. Further study of bat iPSCs and their differentiated progeny will provide insights into bat biology, virus host relationships, and the molecular basis of bats’ special traits.
SN  - 0092-8674
SN  - 1097-4172
ER  -