Co-Authors:
Lozano, R., Department of Botany, University of Maryland, College Park, 20742, MD, United States
Lusby, W.R., Insect Physiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, Bldg. 467, BARC-East, Beltsville, 20705, MD, United States
Chitwood, D.J., Insect Physiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, Bldg. 467, BARC-East, Beltsville, 20705, MD, United States
Thompson, M.J., Insect Physiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, Bldg. 467, BARC-East, Beltsville, 20705, MD, United States
Svoboda, J.A., Insect Physiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, Bldg. 467, BARC-East, Beltsville, 20705, MD, United States
Abstract:
Effects on the metabolism of campesterol and stigmasterol in Caenorhabditis elegans were investigated using N,N-dimethyldodecanamine, a known inhibitor of growth, reproduction and the Δ24-sterol reductase of this nematode. 7-Dehydrocholesterol was the predominant sterol (51%) of C. elegans grown in stigmasterol-supplemented media, whereas addition of 25 ppm amine resulted in a large decrease in the relative percentage of 7-dehydrocholesterol (23%) and the accumulation of a substantial proportion (33%) of Δ24-sterols (e.g., cholesta-5,7,24-trienol) and Δ22,24-sterols (e.g., cholesta-5,7,22, 24-tetraenol) but yielded no Δ22-sterols. Dealkylation of stigmasterol by C. elegans proceeded in the presence of the Δ22-bond; reduction of the Δ22-bond occurred prior to Δ24-reduction. Addition of 25 ppm amine to campesterol-supplemented media altered the sterol composition of C. elegans by increasing the percentage of unmetabolized dietary campesterol from 39 to 60%, decreasing the percentage of 7-dehydrocholesterol from 26 to 12%, and causing the accumulation of several Δ24-sterols (6%). C. elegans also was shown to be capable of dealkylating a Δ24(28)-sterol as it converted 24-methyl-enecholesterol to mostly 7-dehydrocholesterol. The proposed role of 24-methylenecholesterol as an intermediate between campesterol and 7-dehydrocholesterol was supported by the results. © 1985 American Oil Chemists' Society.