title: Deactivating Fatty Acids: Acyl-CoA Thioesterase-Mediated Control of Lipid Metabolism.
abstract: The cellular uptake of free fatty acids (FFA) is followed by esterification to coenzyme A (CoA), generating fatty acyl-CoAs that are substrates for oxidation or incorporation into complex lipids. Acyl-CoA thioesterases (ACOTs) constitute a family of enzymes that hydrolyze fatty acyl-CoAs to form FFA and CoA. Although biochemically and biophysically well characterized, the metabolic functions of these enzymes remain incompletely understood. Existing evidence suggests regulatory roles in controlling rates of peroxisomal and mitochondrial fatty acyl-CoA oxidation, as well as in the subcellular trafficking of fatty acids. Emerging data implicate ACOTs in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, suggesting that better understanding their pathobiology could reveal unique targets in the management of obesity, diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, 14186, Sweden.
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tillander
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, 14186, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stefan E H
authors.initials: SEH
authors.lastname: Alexson
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Joan & Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA. Electronic address: dcohen@med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000235:genetics; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013869:Thiolester Hydrolases / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; C000606872:ACOT1 protein, human; D013869:Thiolester Hydrolases
keywords: energy homeostasis; fatty acyl-CoA; free fatty acid; mitochondria; peroxisomes