Farese R V, Herz J
Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, University of California, San Francisco 94141, USA.
Trends Genet. 1998 Mar;14(3):115-20. doi: 10.1016/s0168-9525(97)01377-2.
Although cholesterol has long been known to be an essential component of cell membranes in vertebrate organisms, recent studies have suggested that cholesterol plays a crucial role in specific processes during embryonic development, including the covalent modification of Hedgehog proteins. Here we review the overlapping developmental phenotypes associated with pharmacologically or genetically induced defects in cholesterol biosynthesis, embryonic cholesterol transport and Hedgehog proteins. Shared aspects of these phenotypes suggest that common mechanisms underlie impaired central nervous system development associated with cholesterol deficiency.
尽管长期以来人们都知道胆固醇是脊椎动物细胞膜的重要组成部分，但最近的研究表明，胆固醇在胚胎发育的特定过程中起着关键作用，包括刺猬蛋白的共价修饰。在这里，我们综述了与胆固醇生物合成、胚胎胆固醇转运和刺猬蛋白的药理学或基因诱导缺陷相关的重叠发育表型。这些表型的共同方面表明，与胆固醇缺乏相关的中枢神经系统发育受损存在共同机制。
