MSGID: 1:317/3 645486c7   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   phytosterols    
    Study describes marine worms that can synthesize phytosterols de novo,   
   and shows that many other animals have the genes to make these plant sterols   
      
      
     Date:   
         May 4, 2023   
     Source:   
         Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology   
     Summary:   
         Phytosterols are good for your health, but humans and other animals   
         are not able to make them themselves, only plants can. To acquire   
         phytosterols, humans are increasingly turning to supplements, green   
         smoothies, or a Mediterranean diet with plenty of plant-based foods.   
      
         Researchers have now discovered that tiny gutless worms from the   
         Mediterranean can synthesize phytosterols on their own. Their   
         study provides evidence that many other animals also have the   
         genes needed to make their own phytosterols.   
      
      
         Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Cholesterol and phytosterol are sterols, fatty compounds essential for   
   many biological processes such as the functioning of cell membranes. Up to   
   now, it has been assumed that phytosterols are characteristic for plants,   
   and cholesterol for animals, and that only plants can make phytosterols,   
   while animals typically make cholesterol. Dolma Michellod, Nicole Dubilier   
   and Manuel Liebeke from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology   
   in Bremen, Germany, were therefore surprised when they discovered that   
   a small marine worm called Olavius algarvensis, which lives in seagrass   
   beds in the Mediterranean, has much more phytosterol than cholesterol.   
      
   "We knew the worms couldn't be eating the seagrass because they do   
   not have a mouth or gut," explains first author Michellod. "We next   
   wondered if the symbiotic bacteria inside Olavius, which provide them   
   with their nutrition, might make phytosterols, but this wasn't the case"   
   adds Dubilier. "We were also able to exclude that the worms were taking   
   up phytosterols through their skin.   
      
   It was only then that we realized that the worms must be making the   
   phytosterols themselves" explains Liebeke.   
      
   The Max Planck researchers, together with colleagues from the MARUM --   
   Center for Marine Environmental Sciences in Bremen, the University of   
   Mu"nster, the University of Hamburg, North Carolina State University and   
   Imperial College London, used a wealth of methods that included sequencing   
   of the worm's DNA and RNA, protein and metabolite analyses and imaging   
   of sterols to reveal that it is the worm that makes the phytosterols,   
   and that the main phytosterol they make is sitosterol. Their study is   
   the first to show that a metazoan animal can synthesize phytosterols   
   and was published in the journal Science on May 5th.   
      
   From worms to corals -- five animal phyla have the genes for making   
   phytosterols Even more surprising for the researchers was their   
   discovery that the gene needed to make sitosterol from precursors of   
   cholesterol is widespread in the animal kingdom. "We discovered a gene   
   that was thought to have been lost long ago in the evolution of animals,"   
   explains Liebeke. Michellod adds: "It was exhilarating to discover this   
   gene in so many different groups of animals, from corals and earthworms   
   to clams and mussels." "This means there is a strong selective advantage   
   for animals in having the gene that allows them to make phytosterols. We   
   think phytosterols might make animal membranes more permeable, but so far,   
   that's just wild speculation," adds Dubilier.   
      
   The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Understanding the role of cholesterol   
   and phytosterols So far, sterol research in animals has focused   
   on cholesterol. Known for being "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,"   
   some forms of cholesterol are essential for building cell membranes and   
   producing hormones, while others are harmful and can block blood vessels,   
   and increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases. A wealth of recent   
   findings on the benefits of phytosterols for humans indicate that they   
   may improve blood cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of heart   
   attacks or strokes. But the precise manner in which phytosterols provide   
   benefits is far from understood. The researchers from the Max Planck   
   Institute for Marine Microbiology are convinced that the tiny marine worm   
   Olavius algarvensis is a valuable model organism for better understanding   
   the beneficial role of plant sterols for animal health and well-being.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Cholesterol # Heart_Disease # Diseases_and_Conditions   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Life_Sciences # Marine_Biology # Wild_Animals   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Oceanography # Rainforests # Environmental_Awareness   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Mediterranean_diet o Herbivore o Dog_health o Nutrition o   
             Health_science o Healthy_diet o Micronutrient o Jane_Goodall   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   Max_Planck_Institute_for_Marine_Microbiology. Note: Content may be edited   
   for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Dolma Michellod, Tanja Bien, Daniel Birgel, Marlene Violette, Manuel   
         Kleiner, Sarah Fearn, Caroline Zeidler, Harald R. Gruber-Vodicka,   
         Nicole Dubilier, Manuel Liebeke. De novo phytosterol synthesis   
         in animals.   
      
         Science, 2023; 380 (6644): 520 DOI: 10.1126/science.add7830   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230504155632.htm   
      
   --- up 1 year, 9 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 52 minutes   
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)   
   SEEN-BY: 15/0 106/201 114/705 123/120 153/7715 218/700 226/30 227/114   
   SEEN-BY: 229/110 112 113 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 292/854 298/25   
   SEEN-BY: 305/3 317/3 320/219 396/45   
   PATH: 317/3 229/426