Recent investigations on the nature of sterol intermediates in the biosynthesis of cholesterol

Abstract

Lanosterol(4,4,14α-trimethyl-cholesta-8,24-dien-3β-ol) has been proposed as the primary product of the cyclization of 2,3-epoxysqualene in animal tissues. Enzymic conversion of lanosterol to cholesterol requires reduction of the ∆ 24 double bond, removal of the three extra methyl groups, and shift of the nuclear double bond from ∆ 8 position to the ∆ 5 position. Until very recently, all of the proposed sterol intermediates in the biosynthesis of cholesterol possessed nuclear double bonds in the ∆ 8 , ∆ 7 , ∆ 5,7 or ∆ 5 positions. Consideration of possible mechanisms for the removal of the methyl group at carbon atom 14 of sterol precursors led to our demonstration of the presence of cholest-8(14)-en-3β-ol in animal tissues and establishment of the convertibility of this sterol to cholesterol in rat liver homogenate preparations. Reports (from other laboratories) of the stereospecific loss of the 15α-hydrogen of lanosterol upon enzymic conversion to cholesterol led to the demonstration of the convertibility of cholesta-8,14-dien-3β-ol, cholesta-7,14-dien-3β-ol, 14α-methyl-cholest-7-en-3β,15-diol, cholest-8(14)-en-3β,15α-diol, and cholest-8(14)-en-3β,15β-diol to cholesterol in rat liver preparations. We have recently developed chromatographic methods permitting the resolution of all of the C 27 sterols in question. The results of recent experiments directed towards an understanding of the detailed metabolism of these compounds are presented herein.