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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #101348
Title: BIOTRANSFORMATION OF 24-ALPHA-METHYLCHOLESTEROL AND 24-BETA- METHYLCHOLESTEROL BY YEAST MUTANT GL7

Author
item CUI, YAJUN - BEIJING UNION UNIV.
item WANG, LIDA - BEIJING MEDICAL UNIV.
item Norton, Robert
item ZHENG, JUNHUA - BEIJING MEDICAL UNIV.
item GUO, DEAN - BEIJING MEDICAL UNIV.

Submitted to: Journal of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/29/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: This research asks if it is possible to inhibit the growth of harmful fungi by changing the composition of a group of compounds they take up from the host they grow on. A critical component of the cell membranes of fungi is the compound ergosterol, which is similar to the cholesterol found in animals. Agents which can prevent fungal cells from making ergosterol but not affect cholesterol synthesis can potentially be used to prevent the growth of fungi. The results showed that only one of the forms could be used by the mutant and suggests that compounds with the opposite orientation could prevent fungi from making ergosterol and thus represents a point at which inhibitors of fungal growth might be targeted. These results will benefit cmpanies which make antifungal compounds for either pharmaceutical or agricultural use and could help control growth of human and animal fungal pathogens and fungi which infect and degrade crops.

Technical Abstract: Incubation of 24-alpha- and 24-beta-methylcholesterols with yeast mutant GL7 afforded their corresponding C-22 desaturated products under the catalysis of sterol delta22(23)-desaturase. The metabolites were identified to be 22-dehydro-24-alpha- methylcholesterol and 22-dehydro-24-beta-methylcholesterol, respectively, on the basis of their chromatographic and spectral properties. It was concluded that the sterol delta2(23)- desaturase prefers the 24-beta-methyl sterols and is highly stereospecific.