ergosterol

[ur-gos-tuh-rohl, -rawl]

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a colorless, crystalline, water-insoluble sterol, C 28 H 43 OH, that occurs in ergot and yeast and that, when irradiated with ultraviolet light, is converted to vitamin D.

ergosterol

/ ɜːˈɡɒstəˌrɒl /

noun

1. a plant sterol that is converted into vitamin D by the action of ultraviolet radiation. Formula: C 28 H 43 OH

Word History and Origins

Origin of ergosterol¹

First recorded in 1885–90; ergo- ² + sterol

Example Sentences

Azoles deplete ergosterol, which results in killing of the pathogen cell.

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Together, the teams uncovered the mechanism of the drug: AmB kills fungi by acting like a sponge to extract ergosterol from fungal cells.

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Fungi like yeast “could make new ergosterol faster than we could remove it,” Burke says.

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Other eukaryotes—organisms with complex cells—produce their own sterols, including stigmasterol in plants and ergosterol in fungi.

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Further experiments revealed the pathogens were releasing less of a molecule called ergosterol, which made them visible to the ants.

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