Abstract
A comparison of sterol utilization by 3 stored-products insects revealed very different capabilities. The fluor beetle,Tribolium castaneum dealkylates and converts dietary sitosterol to about equal amounts of cholesterol (43.7%) and 7-dehydrocholeterol (39.8%), whereas another flour beetle,Tenebrio molitor, produces considerably less 7-dehydrocholesterol (16.8%) and relatively more cholesterol (66.7%) from sitosterol. The lepidopteran,Plodia interpunctella, utilized dietary sterol very similar to plant-feeding lepidoptera, producing primarily cholesterol (86.5%) from sitosterol.
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The authors thank O. J. Duncan III and D. Harrison for technical assistance. Mention of a company name or proprietary product does not imply endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture.
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Svoboda, J.A., Lusby, W.R. Variability of sterol utilization in stored-products insects. Experientia 50 (Suppl 1), 72–74 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01992053
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01992053