Transformation of 25-Hydroxycholesterol by Rhizoctonia muneratii.

Rhizoctonia muneratii ATCC 13247 was capable of catalyzing the conversion of 25-hydroxycholesterol to the 3-oxo-4-ene. Hydroxylation at the 6alpha and 6beta positions with the concomitant 3-oxo-4-ene transformation was also observed. The addition of Triton X-100 to the growth medium immediately before steroid addition selectively prevented the appearance of the respective 6alpha-hydroxylated products. The observed conversions were indicative of the utility of microbial transformations in preparing hydroxylated steroids which can be useful for further synthetic modification or for study as pharmacological agents.