Phospholipids and sterols are known to have multiple functions in reproductive tissue of
mammals. High concentrations of the cholesterol precursor desmosterol have been
described in testis, epididymis, and spermatozoa of various species. These findings and the
recent discovery of some cholesterol precursors as meiosis-activating sterols suggest
important functions of cholesterol precursors in fertility. Many sterol intermediates appear
from the 19-step conversion of lanosterol, the first sterol synthesized in the cascade of …