Synopsis Research Bosch group
Research within the Bosch group is focused on coronaviruses. Coronaviruses are important pathogens relevant for veterinary and human health. Moreover they have demonstrated their potential to cross the species border illustrated by the recent emergence of the zoonotic SARS and MERS coronaviruses. Studying these coronaviruses at the molecular level helps to understand various aspects of coronavirus biology, including their evolution, epidemiology, pathogenesis and (cross-species) transmission as well as for the development of novel intervention strategies.
We are particularly interested in coronavirus entry into the host cell and the role of the Spike protein therein. Spike glycoproteins on coronaviruses mediate binding of the virus to receptor molecules on the host cell surface, as well as subsequent cell-entry. In addition, the coronavirus Spike protein is the main target for humoral immune responses, and as such a key viral protein for development of intervention strategies.
Some of the research lines within the Bosch group funded by NWO (TOP-ZonMW), IMI (ZAPI program) and industry (MSD-AnimalHealth):
- Coronavirus interaction with the host cell
- Structure-function studies of coronavirus spike proteins
- Determinants of coronavirus inter-species transmissibility
- Development of intervention strategies (antibodies, vaccines) for (emerging) coronaviruses
Our research is done in collaborations with (inter)national experts in the fields of structural biology, advanced electron microscopy and virus pathogenesis.
The group may have developed a human antibody that can inhibit the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). See for more information the dossier coronaviruses.
Key publications Bosch group
1. Li, W., R. J. G. Hulswit, S. P. Kenney, I. Widjaja, K. Jung, M. A. Alhamo, B. van Dieren, F. J. M. van Kuppeveld, L. J. Saif, and B. J. Bosch. 2018. Broad receptor engagement of an emerging global coronavirus may potentiate its diverse cross-species transmissibility. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 115:E5135-E5143.
2. Li*, W, R. J. G. Hulswit*, I. Widjaja*, V. S. Raj, R. McBride, W. Peng, W. Widagdo, M. A. Tortorici, B. van Dieren, Y. Lang, J. W. M. van Lent, J. C. Paulson, C. A. M. de Haan, R. J. de Groot, F. J. M. van Kuppeveld, B. L. Haagmans# and B. J. Bosch#, Identification of sialic acid-binding function for the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike glycoprotein. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., doi: 10.1073/pnas.1712592114. (* equal contribution; # co-senior authorship)
3. Walls, A. C., M. A. Tortorici, B. Frenz, J. Snijder, W. Li, F. A. Rey, F. DiMaio, B. J. Bosch# and D. Veesler#. 2016. Glycan shield and epitope masking of a coronavirus spike protein observed by cryo-electron microscopy. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. (# co-senior authorship)
4. Walls*, A. C., M. A. Tortorici*, B. J. Bosch*, B. Frenz, P. J. Rottier, F. DiMaio, F. A. Rey, and D. Veesler. 2016. Cryo-electron microscopy structure of a coronavirus spike glycoprotein trimer. Nature. 531:114-117. (* equal contribution)
5. Li, C., Z. Li, Y. Zou, O. Wicht, F. J. van Kuppeveld, P. J. Rottier, and B. J. Bosch. 2013. Manipulation of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus genome using targeted RNA recombination. PLoS One. 8:e69997.
6. Mou, H., V. S. Raj, F. J. van Kuppeveld, P. J. Rottier, B. L. Haagmans, and B. J. Bosch. 2013. The receptor binding domain of the new Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus maps to a 231-residue region in the spike protein that efficiently elicits neutralizing antibodies. J. Virol. 87:9379-9383.
7. Raj, V. S., H. Mou, S. L. Smits, D. H. Dekkers, M. A. Muller, R. Dijkman, D. Muth, J. A. Demmers, A. Zaki, R. A. Fouchier, V. Thiel, C. Drosten, P. J. Rottier, A. D. Osterhaus, B. J. Bosch#, and B. L. Haagmans#. 2013. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 is a functional receptor for the emerging human coronavirus-EMC. Nature. 495:251-254. (# co-senior authorship)
For a full overview of scientific publications see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=bosch+bj+virus&sort=date
Coronaviruses: electron-microscopic picture of virus particle (a); structure of the Spike trimer (b); Spike-mediated cell-cell fusion (c)