Plant sterols and the membrane environment

Sterols are essential for all eukaryotes. In contrast to animal and fungal cells, which contain only one major sterol, plant cells synthesize a complex array of sterol mixtures in which sitosterol, stigmasterol and 24-methylcholesterol often predominate. Sitosterol and 24-methylcholesterol are able to regulate membrane fluidity and permeability in a similar manner to cholesterol in mammalian cell membranes. plant sterols can also modulate the activity of membrane-bound enzymes. In contrast, stigmasterol might be specifically required for cell proliferation.