The liver X receptors (LXRs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that regulate the
expression of genes controlling lipid metabolism. Oxysterols bind LXRs with high affinity in
vitro and are implicated as ligands for the receptor. We showed previously that accumulation
of selected dietary sterols, in particular stigmasterol, is associated with activation of LXR in
vivo. In the course of the defining of structural features of stigmasterol that confer LXR
agonist activity, we determined that the presence of an unsaturated bond in the side chain of …