FIGURE 1.

Cholesterol-enriched diet increases accumulation of free cholesterol in endolysosomes and induces endolysosome enlargement. (A,B) Filipin-positive staining of free cholesterol (blue) co-distributed with EEA1-positive endosomes (red) and LAMP2-positive lysosomes (red) in muscle from cholesterol-fed rabbits. (C) In muscle fibers from control rabbits, EEA1, LAMP2, and cathepsin D staining appeared weak and diffuse, but in muscle fibers from cholesterol-fed rabbits, EEA1, LAMP2, and cathepsin D positive staining was strong forming large clumps (40X). (D) Cholesterol-enriched diet increased co-localization of EEA1 with LAMP2 in those abnormally enlarged endolysosomes. Bar = 20 μm.