Sterols in species of Pythium

Summary Analysis by gas chromatography revealed the presence of small amounts of squalene, but not lanosterol nor ergosterol in Pythium paroecandrum, P. ultimum, P. graminicola, and P. arrhenomonas. However, when acetate-¹⁴C was used as a precursor for sterols, even squalene was not found in P. graminicola. The deficiency in the sterol synthesizing mechanism may therefore be at or before the squalene forming step. Both squalene and ergosterol were present in the mycelium of Rhizoctonia solani, as shown by both gas chromatography and by the incorporation of acetate-¹⁴C into ergosterol. The absence of ergosterol in Pythium and its presence in Rhizoctonia is consistant with the resistance to the antibiotic filipin of Pythium species and the sensitivity of R. solani.