Sterol depletion reduces receptor-mediated low-density lipoprotein binding in NS-1 mouse myeloma cells.

NS-1 mouse myeloma cells, a cholesterol auxotrophic cell line with a lesion in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway at the demethylation of lanosterol to C-29 sterol, were depleted of cholesterol by incubation in cholesterol-free medium for 24 to 48 h. The low-density lipoprotein receptor activities in untreated and in cholesterol-depleted cells were then compared. The cholesterol-depleted NS-1 cells consistently exhibited a 75 to 90% reduction in receptor-mediated low-density lipoprotein binding compared to untreated cells. The decline of the low-density lipoprotein binding of cholesterol-free medium-incubated NS-1 cells was prevented by addition of free cholesterol or its biosynthetic intermediate, demosterol, to the medium. The addition of lanosterol, an intermediate upstream to the lesion site in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, was completely ineffective. The results indicate that proper membrane cholesterol content is necessary for the maintenance of normal low-density lipoprotein receptor function in NS-1 cells.