Membrane cholesterol influences a large number of cellular processes and the dynamics of
cholesterol exchange between membranes is an area of active study. However, analogs
containing a fluorophore on the isooctyl side chain of cholesterol are commonly used
without regard for the potential impact of the fluorophore on membrane structure. We
investigated the capacity of 3-hexanoyl-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diazol-4-yl-cholesterol (3-
NBD-cholesterol), which is labelled at the C3 position, to trace cholesterol dynamics in …