Virusi ovog podgene, kao i drugi koronavirusi, imaju omotnicu lipidnog dvosloja u kojoj su usidreni strukturni proteini membrane (M), ovojnice (E) i šiljka (S).[3][4]
↑Wong, Antonio C. P.; Li, Xin; Lau, Susanna K. P.; Woo, Patrick C. Y. 20. veljače 2019. Global Epidemiology of Bat Coronaviruses. Viruses. 11 (2): 174. doi:10.3390/v11020174. ISSN1999-4915. PMC6409556. PMID30791586. CoVs are classified into four genera, Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus, Gammacoronavirus and Deltacoronavirus. Within Betacoronavirus, they can be further subclassified into lineages A, B, C and D [1]. In 2018, these four lineages were reclassified as subgenera of Betacoronavirus, and renamed as Embecovirus (previous lineage A), Sarbecovirus (previous lineage B), Merbecovirus (previous lineage C) and Nobecovirus (previous lineage D) [2]. In addition, a fifth subgenus, Hibecovirus, was also included (Figure 1) [2].
↑Woo, Patrick C. Y.; Huang, Yi; Lau, Susanna K. P.; Yuen, Kwok-Yung. 24. kolovoza 2010. Coronavirus Genomics and Bioinformatics Analysis. Viruses. 2 (8): 1804–1820. doi:10.3390/v2081803. ISSN1999-4915. PMC3185738. PMID21994708. The presence of HE genes exclusively in members of Betacoronavirus subgroup A, but not members of Betacoronavirus subgroup B, C and D suggested that the recombination had probably occurred in the ancestor of members of Betacoronavirus subgroup A, after diverging from the ancestor of other subgroups of Betacoronavirus.