Identifiers | |
---|---|
85-61-0 | |
3D model (Jmol) | Interactive image |
ChEBI | CHEBI:15346 |
ChEMBL | ChEMBL1213327 |
ChemSpider | 6557 |
DrugBank | DB01992 |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.001.472 |
KEGG | C00010 |
MeSH | Coenzyme+A |
PubChem | 6816 |
UNII | SAA04E81UX |
|
|
|
|
Properties | |
C21H36N7O16P3S | |
Molar mass | 767.535 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
|
|
what is ?) | (|
Infobox references | |
Coenzyme A (CoA, CoASH, or HSCoA) is a coenzyme, notable for its role in the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids, and the oxidation of pyruvate in the citric acid cycle. All genomes sequenced to date encode enzymes that use coenzyme A as a substrate, and around 4% of cellular enzymes use it (or a thioester, such as acetyl-CoA) as a substrate. In humans, CoA biosynthesis requires cysteine, pantothenate, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
In all living organisms, Coenzyme A is synthesized in a five-step process that requires four molecules of ATP, from pantothenate and cysteine:
Enzyme nomenclature abbreviations in parentheses represent eukaryotic and prokaryotic enzymes respectively. In some plants and bacteria, including Escherichia coli, pantothenate can be synthesised de novo and is therefore not considered essential.
The structure of coenzyme A was identified in the early 1950s at the Lister Institute, London, together with other workers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Since coenzyme A is, in chemical terms, a thiol, it can react with carboxylic acids to form thioesters, thus functioning as an acyl group carrier. It assists in transferring fatty acids from the cytoplasm to . A molecule of coenzyme A carrying an acetyl group is also referred to as acetyl-CoA. When it is not attached to an acyl group, it is usually referred to as 'CoASH' or 'HSCoA'.