Figure 1.

C6/36 cells from Aedes albopictus can be depleted of detectable levels of cholesterol. C6/36 cells were grown in normal serum (A and C) or lipoprotein-deficient serum for 12 passages (B and D), fixed, and stained with the fluorescent, cholesterol-binding dye filipin. Phase contrast and fluorescent images of the same fields are shown. The cells grown in delipidated serum fail to stain with filipin (D), unlike the control cells (C), where the plasma membrane and internal membranes are brightly labeled. Bar, 10 μm.