Abstract
Oxysterols, herein defined as derivatives of cholesterol with a hydroxyl group on the side chain, play several roles in lipid metabolism. Members of this class regulate the expression of genes that participate in both sterol and fat metabolism, serve as substrates for the synthesis of bile acids, and are intermediates in the transfer of sterols from the periphery to the liver. Three abundant naturally occurring oxysterols are 24-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, and 27-hydroxycholesterol. The cholesterol hydroxylase enzymes that synthesize each of these have been isolated over the last several years and their study has produced insight into the biology of oxysterols. This article focuses on the properties of these enzymes. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 126-135 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids |
Volume | 1529 |
Issue number | 1-3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 15 2000 |
Keywords
- Bile acid synthesis
- Cholesterol hydroxylase
- Cytochrome P-450
- Diiron cofactor
- Sterol metabolism
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology