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. 1966 Jun;99(3):726–734. doi: 10.1042/bj0990726

The stereospecific biosynthesis of plant sterols and α- and β-amyrin

H H Rees 1, E I Mercer 1, T W Goodwin 1
PMCID: PMC1265064  PMID: 5964969

Abstract

1. A preparation of pea seedlings has been obtained that will incorporate [2-14C]mevalonate into squalene, α- and β-amyrin and the phytosterols. 2. The 14C/3H ratio in α- and β-amyrin biosynthesized in the presence of [2-14C,4R-3H]-mevalonate is the same as in the starting material and in squalene; this gives experimental support to the mechanism for the cyclization of squalene proposed by Ruzicka for the formation of these pentacyclic triterpenoids. 3. The 14C/3H ratio for β-sitosterol was 5:3, the same as that in cholesterol in liver. 4. As the absence of 3H from C-3 in β-sitosterol was demonstrated 3H must be present in the side chain and thus the H at C-24 is not lost during alkylation of the side chain; it probably migrates to C-25.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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