Skip to content
EntityQ3024529· pop 9· linked from 143 articles

desmosterol

Sign in to save

Also known as 3beta-cholesta-5,24-dien-3-ol, Cholest-5,24-dien-3beta-ol, Cholesta-5,24-dien-3b-ol, Cholesta-5,24-dien-3-ol, (1S,2R,5S,10S,11S,14R,15R)-2,15-dimethyl-14-[(2R)-6-methylhept-5-en-2-yl]tetracyclo[8.7.0.0^{2,7}.0^{11,15}]heptadec-7-en-5-ol

Desmosterol (cholesta-5,24-dien-3β-ol) is a lipid present in the membrane of phytoplankton and an intermediate product in cholesterol synthesis in mammal cells. Structurally, desmosterol has a similar backbone to cholesterol, with the exception of an additional double bond in the structure of desmosterol.

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

12 sections
Contents
  • Background
  • Biological occurrence
  • Biosynthesis
  • Preservation
  • Use as a Biomarker
  • Balsfjorden, Northern Norway
  • Peruvian Shelf
  • Measurement techniques
  • GC-MS
  • Ozonolysis
  • See also
  • References

Desmosterol (cholesta-5,24-dien-3β-ol) is a lipid present in the membrane of phytoplankton and an intermediate product in cholesterol synthesis in mammal cells. Structurally, desmosterol has a similar backbone to cholesterol, with the exception of an additional double bond in the structure of desmosterol.

The similarity can be seen biologically through the synthesis of cholesterol in the human body, as desmosterol is the immediate precursor to cholesterol in the Bloch pathway. Desmosterol is accumulated in desmosterolosis and undergoes reduction with the enzyme 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase to form cholesterol.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “desmosterol” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Available in 9 languages

via Wikidata sitelinks · CC0