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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1982 Apr;79(8):2598–2602. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.8.2598

Distribution of cytochemically detectable cholesterol in the electric organ of Torpedo marmorata.

A Perrelet, L M Garcia-Segura, A Singh, L Orgi
PMCID: PMC346247  PMID: 6953416

Abstract

A cytochemical probe for cholesterol, the polyene antibiotic filipin, was applied to aldehyde-fixed samples of the electric organ of Torpedo marmorata to identify filipin-binding sites in the various membrane components of the organ and, hence, the probable cholesterol content at these levels. In both thin-sectioned and freeze-fractured samples, filipin-cholesterol complexes appeared numerous and homogeneously distributed on the Schwann cell plasma membrane. On the presynaptic membrane, filipin-cholesterol complexes occurred in patches alternating with unlabeled membrane segments. The postsynaptic, acetylcholine receptor-rich plasma membrane of the electroplax showed no or few filipin-cholesterol complexes in the flat region and upper part of the invaginations (both areas characterized by a lattice of small intramembrane particles); however, the membrane of the bottom part of the postsynaptic invaginations contained several complexes. The ventral, noninnervated plasma membrane of the electroplax showed a moderate, homogeneous filipin labeling. These data suggest that the distribution of cholesterol among membranes of the electroplax is not homogeneous and that the acetylcholine receptor-rich region of the postsynaptic membrane (as characterized by the lattice of small intramembrane particles) may contain little cholesterol.

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Selected References

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