2023 journal article
De novo phytosterol synthesis in animals
Science.
MeSH headings : Animals; Cholesterol / metabolism; Phylogeny; Plants / metabolism; Sitosterols / metabolism; Annelida / metabolism
TL;DR:
It is demonstrated that the marine annelids Olavius and Inanidrilus synthesize the phytosterol sitosterol de novo, indicating that the evolution of sterols in animals is more complex than previously assumed.
(via Semantic Scholar)
doi.org (repository)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
3. Good Health and Well-being
(Web of Science)
14. Life Below Water
(OpenAlex)
Source: ORCID
Added: May 5, 2023
Sterols are vital for nearly all eukaryotes. Their distribution differs in plants and animals, with phytosterols commonly found in plants whereas most animals are dominated by cholesterol. We show that sitosterol, a common sterol of plants, is the most abundant sterol in gutless marine annelids. Using multiomics, metabolite imaging, heterologous gene expression, and enzyme assays, we show that these animals synthesize sitosterol de novo using a noncanonical C-24 sterol methyltransferase (C 24 -SMT). This enzyme is essential for sitosterol synthesis in plants, but not known from most bilaterian animals. Our phylogenetic analyses revealed that C 24 -SMTs are present in representatives of at least five animal phyla, indicating that the synthesis of sterols common to plants is more widespread in animals than currently known.