Niemann-Pick C2 protein regulates sterol transport between plasma membrane and late endosomes in human fibroblasts.

Niemann-Pick disease type C2 is a lipid storage disorder in which mutations in the NPC2 protein cause accumulation of lipoprotein-derived cholesterol in late endosomes and lysosomes (LE/LYSs). Whether cholesterol delivered by other means to NPC2 deficient cells also accumulates in LE/LYSs is currently unknown. We show that the close cholesterol analog dehydroergosterol (DHE), when delivered to the plasma membrane (PM) accumulates in LE/LYSs of human fibroblasts lacking functional NPC2.