Figure 1.

SARS-CoV2 preferentially infects neurons and spreads faster throughout the olfactory cortex of aged, infected monkeys

(A and B) Quantitative quadruple staining combining markers for neuron (NeuN), microglia (Iba1), and astrocytes (GFAP) with SARS-CoV2 nucleocapsid protein (N ptn) was performed in the primary olfactory cortex of young and aged infected monkeys.

(C) Internalized N ptn volume was calculated in 3D and divided by the total 3D volume obtained for each infected cell type analyzed.

(D) The neurotropic potential of SARS-CoV2 was investigated in the primary olfactory cortex (blue; piriform cortex [PC], olfactory tubercle [OT], and entorhinal cortex [EC]) and the prefrontal secondary olfactory region, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; green).

(E) Representative micrographs and 3D volume reconstruction show spike (Spk) protein (purple) and dsRNA (red) expression across several olfactory regions.

(F and G) Quantification of the intraneuronal levels of dsRNA (F) and Spk protein (G) demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 spreads faster in aged animals compared with young, infected controls.

Scale bar, 50 μm. ^∗∗p < 0.01, ^∗∗∗p < 0.001, two-way ANOVA, Sidak’s post hoc test. Numerical data are represented as mean ± SEM.

See also Figures S2 and S3 and Video S1.