logo
Products
Technologies
Applications
Services
Resources
Selection Guides
About
How are fatty acids activated prior to being transported into mitochondria and oxidized?
Posted October 23, 2023

Answer

Fatty acids are activated via the creation of a thioester bond with CoA in the cytosol to form acyl-CoA prior to being transported into the mitochondria. This is an ATP-dependent process carried out by acyl-CoA synthetases and the presence of CoA-SH. The long chain fatty-acyl-CoA then becomes altered by carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 to acylcarnitine and is able to move across the mitochondrial membrane through carnitine translocase.