Fig. 3: RNAscope in situ hybridization in the lung of SARS-CoV-2 infected ferrets.
From: Age-dependent pathogenic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in ferrets
To detect the SARS-CoV-2 RNA (Spike gene) in lung tissues, RNAscope in situ hybridization was performed using a Spike-specific probe and visualized using RNAscope 2.5 HD Reagent Kit RED. The degree of inflammation in lung tissues was scored as Grade 0–4 based on the estimated percentage of the lung tissue slides affected by lesions (n = 6/group) (a). SARS-CoV-2 spike RNA-positive cells (Yellow arrows) in lung tissues of mock infected (b), juvenile ferrets (≤6 months, G1 group) (c and f), young adult (1 ≤ age ≤2 years, G2 group) (d and g), and aged ferrets (3-year ≤ ages) (e and h). Lung sections of different age groups at 3 dpi (n = 3/group) (c, d, and e) and at 5 dpi (n = 3/group) (f, g, and h). Magnification is 100x and scale bar represents 100 μm. Insert indicates the magnified (200x) of SARS-CoV-2-positive and scale bar represents 50 μm.
