FIG. 7.

Dgcr8^−/− NSCs decrease cholesterol biosynthesis. (A) GSEA revealed that Dgcr8^−/− NSCs downregulate genes associated with cholesterol biosynthesis, target genes of SREBFs, Hedgehog signaling, and Alzheimer's disease. (B) Heatmap of selected genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis and metabolism. (C) Total, free, and esterified cholesterol levels in Dgcr8^+/− and Dgcr8^−/− NSCs. Levels of cholesterol (μg) were normalized to total amount of protein (μg). n = 4 independent biological repeats. *P < 0.05; N.S., not significant; two-tailed Student's t-test. SREBF, sterol regulatory element binding factor. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/scd