Plants stand out among eukaryotes due to the large variety of sterols and sterol derivatives that they can produce. These metabolites not only serve as critical determinants of membrane structures, but also act as signaling molecules, as growth-regulating hormones, or as modulators of enzyme activities. Therefore, it is critical to understand the wiring of the biosynthetic pathways by which plants generate these distinct sterols, to allow their manipulation and to dissect their precise physiological roles. Here, we review the complexity and variation of the biosynthetic routes of the most abundant phytosterols and cholesterol in the green lineage and how different enzymes in these pathways are conserved and diverged from humans, yeast, and even bacteria. Many enzymatic steps show a deep evolutionary conservation, while others are executed by completely different enzymes. This has important implications for the use and specificity of available human and yeast sterol biosynthesis inhibitors in plants, and argues for the development of plant-tailored inhibitors of sterol biosynthesis.

中文翻译：

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通过突变体和抑制剂分析胆固醇和植物甾醇的生物合成

植物在真核生物中脱颖而出，因为它们可以产生各种各样的固醇和固醇衍生物。这些代谢物不仅充当膜结构的关键决定因素，而且还充当信号分子，生长调节激素或酶活性的调节剂。因此，至关重要的是要了解植物产生这些不同固醇的生物合成途径的内在联系，以便对其进行操作并解析其精确的生理作用。在这里，我们回顾了绿色谱系中最丰富的植物甾醇和胆固醇的生物合成途径的复杂性和变异性，以及这些途径中的不同酶如何与人类，酵母菌甚至细菌进行保守和分离。许多酶促步骤显示出深层的进化保守性，而其他的则由完全不同的酶执行。这对可用的人和酵母固醇生物合成抑制剂在植物中的用途和特异性具有重要意义，并为开发针对植物的固醇生物合成抑制剂提供了依据。