Sterols articles from across Nature Portfolio

Cholesterol lowering medication positively affects anti-cancer immune response, but the underpinning mechanism is not fully known. Here authors show that the effect is mediated by specific cholesterol binding motifs in STING, a key mediator of inflammation, via regulating its trafficking to Golgi.

This study reveals the association of cholesterol with the Zika virus prM protein. It highlights the role of cholesterol during virus entry and assembly and shows the incorporation of cholesterol into the viral envelope.

Progesterone is used in recovery of cerebral ischemia however the mechanism of action is unknown. Authors report here that micromolar progesterone activates mouse cerebrovascular myocyte BK channels, involving two steroid binding sites.

Cholesterol inhibits ferroptosis via CoQ10 and squalene metabolism and cholesterol diet can protect from hepatotoxicity.

Regulated cholesterol transport is essential for the maintenance of cellular cholesterol distribution and homeostasis, but tools to monitor this process are limited. Here, the authors develop a genetically encoded cholesterol biosensor and demonstrate its use for visualising cellular cholesterol distribution in various live cells in real time.

The molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular cholesterol distribution remain unclear. Here, the authors identify a key role of lipid transfer proteins ORP9, OSBP, and GRAMD1s in maintaining cholesterol levels in the Golgi and plasma membrane.

A new study identifies a hormone that is secreted by the gut in response to cholesterol absorption and can inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the liver, which prevents an increase in circulating cholesterol levels.

Intracellular trafficking of cholesterol is essential for its uptake, storage and export. In this issue of Nature Metabolism, Xiao et al. provide powerful evidence for the importance of hepatic GRAMD1/Aster transporters in maintaining systemic cholesterol homeostasis.

The fungal sterol receptor and transcription factor Upc2 activates the transcription of ergosterol biosynthesis genes in response to ergosterol depletion in yeast. A structural and biochemical study reveals an Hsp90-dependent translocation activation mechanism of Upc2, with implications for triazole antifungal resistance.

Chemoproteomics-enabled identification of the targets of a hydroxylated cholesterol metabolite, 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol, reveals it to be the first reported endogenous ligand of the sigma-2 receptor, a drug target for neurodegeneration and neuropathic pain.

ORP2 is a lipid transfer protein that exchanges cholesterol for phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate at the plasma membrane.