Structural and physiological features of sterols necessary to satisfy bulk membrane and sparking requirements in yeast sterol auxotrophs

A variety of sterols and stanols have been analyzed for their ability to satisfy bulk membrane and high-specificity (sparking) functions in three yeast sterol auxotrophs. While many sterols and stanols satisfied bulk membrane requirements, only those possessing a C-5,6 unsaturation or capable of being desaturated at C-5 fulfilled the high-specificity sparking requirement. Unsaturation of the A-ring or beta-saturation of a C-5,6 double bond rendered both sterol and stanol unsuitable for either function. The C-28 methyl group of ergosterol, while not required for growth, allowed for greater ease of desaturation at C-5 in vivo. As a result some sterols and stanols lacking the C-28 methyl were incapable of satisfying the sparking requirement while identical compounds possessing the C-28 methyl were able to fulfill the sparking function(s). These data are extended to hypothesize a role for the C-28 methyl group of ergosterol in yeast.