Distribution of filipin-cholesterol complexes in rat incisor odontoblasts

Using the polyene antibiotic filipin as a probe to visualize cholesterol on freeze-fracture replicas of membranes of young odontoblasts of rat incisor, we demonstrated that cholesterol-rich domains were present in cell processes, whereas only a small number of deformations induced by cholesterol-filipin interaction was observed in cell bodies. Except for a few large vesicles, intracellular membranes did not react with filipin. The large number of intramembrane particles observed on the plasma membrane of odontoblast processes did not affect the formation of visible filipin-cholesterol complexes.