Fig. 5.

Cholesterol depletion facilitates HTS-induced Ca²⁺ signals. A, B: Cytosolic Ca²⁺ responses in Fura-2 AM-loaded cells. A: HTS induced [Ca²⁺]_i elevations in representative control, MβCD and MβCD:cholesterol-treated samples (n = 8–10). B: Averaged data from A. MβCD (blue bar) augmented, whereas MβCD:cholesterol (green bar) reduced HTS-induced [Ca²⁺]_i increases. C: Fluorimetry. 55% HTS (140 mOsm) increased Fluo-4 signals. This effect was facilitated by MβCD (N = 3). ∗∗∗P < 0.001; ∗∗∗∗P < 0.0001; NS, nonsignificant.