The receptor-binding motif of SARS-CoV and the homologous region of other CoVs are indicated by the gray box. The key amino acid residues involved in the
interaction with human ACE2 are marked with the orange box. Bat SARS-CoV-like CoVs had been reported to not use ACE2 and have amino acid deletions at two motifs marked by the yellow box.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

The S1 protein in Pangolin-CoV is found to be more closely related to SARS-CoV-2 than to RaTG13 using an amino acid phylogenetic tree. The receptor-binding domain of the S1 protein of Pangolin-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 is highly conserved in five amino acid residues with only a difference in one other amino acid, demonstrating that both coronaviruses have similar pathogenic potential with one another. In contrast, four out of 5 of the key amino acid residues stated above are different in RaTG13. 

Five key amino acids in the RBD are consistent between Pangolin-CoV and SARS-CoV-2

Zhang, T., Wu, Q., & Zhang, Z. (2020). Probable Pangolin Origin of SARS-CoV-2 Associated with the COVID-19 Outbreak. Current biology : CB, 30(7), 1346–1351.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.022

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