ABSTRACT
For most of the reactions in which fatty acids participate in cells, they have to be “activated” (Gurr et al., 2002). This usually involves the generation of a thiolester, such as acylCoA or acyl-ACP. Because of the importance of thiolesters, the synthesis of CoA (coenzyme A) and ACP is critical and, indeed, the CoA biosynthetic pathway has been suggested as a possible target for antibacterials (Leonardi et al., 2005). Activation of fatty acids to coenzyme A esters is discussed by Watkins (1997) and, for a general discussion of the production of acyl-thioesters in different organisms, refer to chapters in Vance and Vance (2002).
