--- title: "Cholesterol synthesis Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-cholesterol/ description: "Cholesterol synthesis template: Mevalonate pathway: HMG-CoA → (R)-mevalonate (HMG-CoA reductase, 2 NADPH, the statin target) → mevalonate 5-phosphate →…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-11-13 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biochemistry/) › Cholesterol synthesis [Biochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biochemistry/)Premium # Cholesterol synthesis template ![Cholesterol synthesis template: Mevalonate pathway: HMG-CoA → (R)-mevalonate (HMG-CoA reductase, 2 NADPH, the statin target) → mevalonate 5-phosphate → 5-diphosphate → isopentenyl diphosphate (−CO₂) ⇌ dimethylallyl diphosphate; then geranyl and farnesyl diphosphate, squalene, lanosterol and cholesterol.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/biopath-cholesterol.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). Mevalonate pathway: HMG-CoA → (R)-mevalonate (HMG-CoA reductase, 2 NADPH, the statin target) → mevalonate 5-phosphate → 5-diphosphate → isopentenyl diphosphate (−CO₂) ⇌ dimethylallyl diphosphate; then geranyl and farnesyl diphosphate, squalene, lanosterol and cholesterol. ## What the template shows - Acetyl-CoA → mevalonate → isoprene units (IPP, DMAPP) → squalene → lanosterol → cholesterol: 27 carbons, all from acetate - The mevalonate pathway (cytosol and ER membrane) - R = CoA. HMG-CoA comes from acetyl-CoA + acetoacetyl-CoA (cytosolic HMG-CoA synthase). HMG-CoA reductase is the rate-limiting step and the target of statins - (S)-HMG-CoA - mevalonate 5-phosphate - mevalonate 5-diphosphate - isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) - dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) - Isoprene units join head to tail, then two farnesyl units join head to head - Prenyltransferase adds IPP to DMAPP (→ C₁₀) and again (→ C₁₅); squalene synthase joins 2 FPP with NADPH - geranyl diphosphate (C₁₀) - farnesyl diphosphate (C₁₅) - Cyclisation and trimming (ER) - Squalene epoxidase (O₂, NADPH) gives 2,3-oxidosqualene; oxidosqualene cyclase closes all four rings at once - Statins (from Endo’s compactin, 1976) are competitive inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase; low sterol in the ER releases SREBP-2, which raises reductase and LDL-receptor levels. - IPP and DMAPP also make ubiquinone, dolichol, prenyl anchors on proteins and, in plants, terpenes and carotenoids. - Mevalonate is (R), made from (S)-HMG-CoA with no change at that carbon (the CIP label changes because the thioester becomes CH₂OH). Phosphates are drawn un-ionised. Drawn with 244 atoms, 9 arrows, 3 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Nelson & Cox, Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 8th ed., 2021, ch. 21](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781319228002) Textbook - [Berg, Tymoczko, Gatto & Stryer, Biochemistry, 9th ed., 2019](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781319114657) Textbook - [Voet & Voet, Biochemistry, 4th ed., Wiley 2011](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780470570951) Textbook - [Bloch, Science 1965, 150, 19](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.150.3692.19) Review - [Agranoff, Eggerer, Henning & Lynen, J. Biol. Chem. 1960, 235, 326](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13792054/) Original paper - [Endo, Kuroda & Tsujita, J. Antibiot. 1976, 29, 1346](https://doi.org/10.7164/antibiotics.29.1346) Original paper ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Cholesterol synthesis template free? You can preview the Cholesterol synthesis template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Cholesterol synthesis template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### Are the biochemical pathways drawn with structures? Yes. 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