MERS-CoV is Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, which is a contagious virus characterized by severe respiratory symptoms and disease. 

MERS-CoV

SARS-CoV, or SARS-associated coronavirus, is a virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which first appeared in 2003 and spread around the world. SARS-CoV is considered a select agent, meaning it has the potential to severely threathen public health.

SARS-CoV

COVID-19 refers to the newly discovered infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. This new virus and disease were first discovered during the outbreak in Wuhan, China, that reportedly began in December 2019. Before this discovery of the new virus, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission announced that patients were sick with 'viral pneumonia' from an unknown cause.

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

HCoV-OC43 was transmitted to humans about 1890.
HCoVs OC43 were isolated from nasal cavities of people with the common cold in the 1960s. In the 1970s, studies that used serology and viral culture linked OC43 with 8% of cases of lower respiratory tract infection(LRTI) in hospitalized infants.

HCoV-OC43

HCoV-HKU1

Several cellular proteins have been reported to be involved in the early steps of beta coronavirus infections in humans.  ACE2, a membrane bound protein that is involved in the cellular entry of many beta coronaviruses, is often supported by the function of other proteins.  Some facilitate the shedding of ACE2 from the cell surface, and others cleave viral S proteins to enhance the fusion of the two membranes.  They include:

- ACE2
- ADAM10
- ADAM17
- TMPRSS2
- TMPRSS11A
- TMPRSS11D
- furin
- CTSL
- PI4KB

Cellular Proteins Related to Beta Coronavirus Infections

1. HCoV-HKU1
2. HCoV-OC43 
3. HCoV-NL63
4. HCoV-229E
5. MERS-CoV 
6. SARS-CoV
7. SARS-CoV-2

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Emory University

The viruses were firstly divided into these genera based on serology but are now grouped by phylogenetic clustering.
1. alpha
2. beta
3. gamma
4. delta

 Main sub-groupings of coronaviruses

Ogimi, C., Kim, Y. J., Martin, E. T., Huh, H. J., Chiu, C. H., & Englund, J. A. (2020). What’s New With the Old Coronaviruses?. Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
https://academic.oup.com/jpids/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jpids/piaa037/5823148

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