A group of bat viruses closely related to the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) could be one small mutation away from being capable of spilling over into human populations and potentially causing the next pandemic.

A recent study published in the journal Nature Communicationsexamined an understudied group of coronaviruses known as merbecoviruses -- the same viral subgenus that includes MERS-CoV -- to better understand how they infect host cells. The research team, which included scientists at Washington State University, the California Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina, found that while most merbecoviruses appear unlikely to pose a direct threat to people, one subgroup known as HKU5 possesses concerning traits.

"Merbecoviruses - and HKU5 viruses in particular - really hadn't been looked at much, but our study shows how these viruses infect cells," said Michael Letko, a virologist at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine who helped to spearhead the study. "What we also found is HKU5 viruses may be only a small step away from being able to spill over into humans."

During the past two decades, scientists have cataloged the genetic sequences of thousands of viruses in wild animals, but, in most cases, little is known about whether these viruses pose a threat to humans. Letko's lab in WSU's Paul G. Allen School for Global Health focuses on closing that gap and identifying potentially dangerous viruses.

For their most recent study, Letko's team targeted merbecoviruses, which have received limited attention apart from MERS-CoV, a zoonotic coronavirus first noted in 2012 that is transmitted from dromedary camels to humans. It causes severe respiratory disease and has a mortality rate of approximately 34%.

Like other coronaviruses, merbecovirusesrely on a spike protein to bind to receptors and invade host cells. Letko's team used virus-like particles containing only the portion of the spike responsible for binding to receptors and tested their ability to infect cells in the lab. While most merbecoviruses appear unlikely to be able to infect humans, HKU5 viruses - which have been found across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East - were shown to use a host receptor known as ACE2, the same used by the more well-known SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. One small difference: HKU5 viruses, for now, can only use the ACE2 gene in bats, but do not use the human version nearly as well.

Examining HKU5 viruses found in Asia where their natural host is the Japanese house bat (Pipistrellus abramus), the researchers demonstrated some mutations in the spike protein that may allow the viruses to bind to ACE2 receptors in other species, including humans. Researchers on another study that came out earlier this year analyzed one HKU5 virus in China that has already been documented to have jumped into minks, showing there is potential for these viruses to cross species-barriers.

"These viruses are so closely related to MERS, so we have to be concerned if they ever infect humans," Letko said. "While there's no evidence they've crossed into people yet, the potential is there -- and that makes them worth watching."

The team also used artificial intelligence to explore the viruses. WSU postdoctoral researcher Victoria Jefferson used a program called AlphaFold 3 to model how the HKU5 spike protein binds to ACE2 at the molecular level, which could help provide a better understanding of how antibodies might block the infection or how the virus could mutate.

Up until this point, such structural analysis required months of lab work and specialized equipment. With AlphaFold, Jefferson generated accurate predictions in minutes. The results matched those recently documented by a research team that used traditional approaches.

Letko noted the study and its methods could be used for future research projects and aid in the development of new vaccines and treatments.

The research was funded through a research project grant from the National Institutes of Health. Jefferson's work was supported by an NIH T32 training grant.

Read more …Scientists warn of bat virus just one mutation from infecting humans

What makes you happy? Perhaps a good night’s sleep, or a wonderful meal with friends[1]?

I am the director of the Happiness Lab[2] at Drexel University, where I also teach a course on happiness. The Happiness Lab is a think tank that investigates the ingredients that contribute to people’s happiness.

Often, my students ask me something along the lines of, “Dr. Z, tell us one thing that will make us happier.”

As a...

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A group of elementary school children crowding before the camera and smiling.

Programs delivering fluoride varnish in schools significantly reduce cavities in children. That is a key finding of our recently published study[1] in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Fluoride varnish[2] is a liquid that is applied to the teeth by a trained provider to reduce cavities. It does not require special dental devices and can be applied quickly in various settings.

Our research team found that school...

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The skin acts as the body's first line of defense against external threats. However, as we age, the epidermis -- the outermost layer of skin -- gradually becomes thinner and loses its protective strength. About 90% of the cells in this layer are keratinocytes, which originate from deeper layers of the epidermis and migrate upward, ultimately forming the skin's protective barrier. To combat aging's impact on skin, numerous studies have emphasized the benefits of vitamin C (VC), a vitamin well known for its role in skin health and antioxidant properties.

Now, researchers in Japan have discovered that VC helps thicken the skin by directly activating genes that control skin cell growth and development. Their findings, published online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology on April 20, 2025, suggest that VC may restore skin function by reactivating genes essential for epidermal renewal.

This study was led by Dr. Akihito Ishigami, Vice President of the Division of Biology and Medical Sciences at Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology (TMIG), Japan, in collaboration with Hokuriku University, and ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Associate Professor Ayami Sato from TMIG (currently at the Toyo University); Associate Professor Yasunori Sato, Professor Toshiyuki Kimura, and Mr. Hideki Tanaka (currently at the University of Fukui Hospital) from Hokuriku University; and Ms. Florence, Ms. Akari Kuwano, Mr. Yasunari Sato, and Mr. Tsuyoshi Ishii from ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd also co-authored the study.

"VC seems to influence the structure and function of epidermis, especially by controlling the growth of epidermal cells. In this study, we investigated whether it promotes cell proliferation and differentiation via epigenetic changes," explains Dr. Ishigami, while talking about this study.

To investigate how VC affects skin regeneration, the team used human epidermal equivalents, which are laboratory-grown models that closely mimic real human skin. In this model, skin cells are exposed to air on the surface while being nourished from underneath by a liquid nutrient medium, replicating the way human skin receives nutrients from underlying blood vessels while remaining exposed to the external environment.

The researchers used this model and applied VC at 1.0 and 0.1 mM -- concentrations comparable to those typically transported from the bloodstream into the epidermis. On assessing its effect, they found that VC-treated skin showed a thicker epidermal cell layer without significantly affecting the stratum corneum (the outer layer composed of dead cells) on day seven. By day 14, the inner layer was even thicker, and the outer layer was found to be thinner, suggesting that VC promotes the formation and division of keratinocytes. Samples treated with VC showed increased cell proliferation, demonstrated by a higher number of Ki-67-positive cells -- a protein marker present in the nucleus of actively dividing cells.

Importantly, the study revealed that VC helps skin cells grow by reactivating genes associated with cell proliferation. It does so by promoting the removal of methyl groups from DNA, in a process known as DNA demethylation. When DNA is methylated, methyl groups attach to cytosine bases, which can prevent the DNA from being transcribed or read, thereby suppressing gene activity. Conversely, by promoting DNA demethylation, VC promotes gene expression and helps cells to grow, multiply, and differentiate.

The study suggests that VC supports active DNA demethylation by sustaining the function of TET enzymes (ten-eleven translocation enzymes), which regulate gene activity. These enzymes convert 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), a process in which Fe2+ is oxidized to Fe3+. VC helps maintain TET enzyme activity by donating electrons to regenerate Fe2+ from Fe3+, enabling continued DNA demethylation.

The researchers further identified over 10,138 hypomethylated differentially methylated regions in VC-treated skin and observed a 1.6- to 75.2-fold increase in the expression of 12 key proliferation-related genes. When a TET enzyme inhibitor was applied, these effects were reversed, confirming that VC functions through TET-mediated DNA demethylation.

These findings reveal how VC promotes skin renewal by triggering genetic pathways involved in growth and repair. This suggests that VC may be particularly helpful for older adults or those with damaged or thinning skin, boosting the skin's natural capacity to regenerate and strengthen itself.

"We found that VC helps thicken the skin by encouraging keratinocyte proliferation through DNA demethylation, making it a promising treatment for thinning skin, especially in older adults," concludes Dr. Ishigami.

This study was supported by grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI: grant number 19K05902.

Read more …Vitamin C flips your skin’s “youth genes,” reversing age-related thinning

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