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. 2021 Oct 27;15:777738. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.777738

FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 3

SARS-CoV2 S1 induced lysosome enlargement and neurite dystrophy. (A) SARS-CoV2 S1 (50 ng/ml for 72 h) induced morphological changes of lysosomes (LAMP1-GFP) in neuronal soma and along the neurites of mouse primary hippocampal neurons (DIV5-7) transduced with GFP; heat-inactivated S1 was used as a control. Bar graph shows that SARS-CoV2 S1 (50 ng/ml for 72 h) induced significant enlargement of lysosomes along the neurites but not in the soma (n = 3). (B) SARS-CoV2 S1 (50 ng/ml for 72 h) significantly reduced the length of neurites in primary mouse hippocampal neurons transduced with GFP; see representative confocal images and bar graph (n = 5). (C) Representative confocal images and 3D reconstruction (right panel) show the presence of late endosomes (Rab7-RFP) and lysosomes (LAMP1-RFP) in varicosities induced by S1 protein (50 ng/ml for 72 h) in primary mouse hippocampal neurons transduced with cytosolic GFP. (D) Varicosity-like structures along the neurites were observed in S1 treated neurons transfected with GFP and LAMP1-RFP. Bar graph shows that SARS-CoV2 S1 (50 ng/ml for 72 h) significantly increased the diameter and density of varicosities along the neurites of S1 treated neurons (n = 6).