Cholesterol is a waxy steroid metabolite found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes, where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. In addition, cholesterol is an important component for the manufacture of bile acids, steroid hormones, and several fat-soluble vitamins. Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals, but small quantities are synthesized in other eukaryotes, such as plants and fungi. It is almost completely absent among prokaryotes, which include bacteria. Source: [[wikipedia:Cholesterol|Wikipedia]]

Authors

Michael Lieberman , Ned Mantei , Thomas Kelder , Christine Chichester , Egon Willighagen , Irene , Denise Slenter , and Eric Weitz

Cited In

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Organism

Mus musculus

Communities

Annotations

Pathway Ontology: cholesterol biosynthetic pathway

Participants

References

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