Why do worms need cholesterol?
- 1 August 2003
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Cell Biology
- Vol. 5 (8) , 684-688
- https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0803-684
Abstract
Cholesterol is a structural component of animal membranes that influences fluidity, permeability and formation of lipid microdomains. It is also a precursor to signalling molecules, including mammalian steroid hormones and insect ecdysones. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans requires too little cholesterol for it to have a major role in membrane structure. Instead, its most probable signalling functions are to control molting and induce a specialized non-feeding larval stage, although no cholesterol-derived signalling molecule has yet been identified for these or any other functions.Keywords
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