cd05907

Long-chain fatty acid CoA synthetases and Bubblegum-like very long-chain fatty acid CoA synthetases; This family includes long-chain fatty acid (C12-C20) CoA synthetases and Bubblegum-like very long-chain (>C20) fatty acid CoA synthetases. FACS catalyzes the formation of fatty acyl-CoA in a two-step reaction: the formation of a fatty acyl-AMP molecule as an intermediate, and the formation of a fatty acyl-CoA. Eukaryotes generally have multiple isoforms of LC-FACS genes with multiple splice variants. For example, nine genes are found in Arabidopsis and six genes are expressed in mammalian cells. Drosophila melanogaster mutant bubblegum (BGM) have elevated levels of very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) caused by a defective gene later named bubblegum. The human homolog (hsBG) of bubblegum has been characterized as a very long chain fatty acid CoA synthetase that functions specifically in the brain; hsBG may play a central role in brain VLCFA metabolism and myelinogenesis. Free fatty acids must be "activated" to their CoA thioesters before participating in most catabolic and anabolic reactions.