Editing Coenzyme A (section)

=== Fatty acid synthesis ===

Since coenzyme A is, in chemical terms, a [[thiol]], it can react with [[carboxylic acid]]s to form [[thioester]]s, thus functioning as an [[acyl]] group carrier. It assists in transferring [[fatty acid]]s from the [[cytoplasm]] to [[mitochondria]].  A molecule of coenzyme A carrying an [[acyl group]] is also referred to as ''[[acyl-CoA]]''. When it is not attached to an acyl group, it is usually referred to as 'CoASH' or 'HSCoA'. This process facilitates the production of fatty acids in cells, which are essential in cell membrane structure.

Coenzyme A is also the source of the [[phosphopantetheine]] group that is added as a [[prosthetic group]] to proteins such as [[acyl carrier protein]] and [[formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Elovson J, Vagelos PR | title = Acyl carrier protein. X. Acyl carrier protein synthetase | journal = The Journal of Biological Chemistry | volume = 243 | issue = 13 | pages = 3603–3611 | date = July 1968 | pmid = 4872726 | doi = 10.1016/S0021-9258(19)34183-3 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Strickland KC, Hoeferlin LA, Oleinik NV, Krupenko NI, Krupenko SA | title = Acyl carrier protein-specific 4'-phosphopantetheinyl transferase activates 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase | journal = The Journal of Biological Chemistry | volume = 285 | issue = 3 | pages = 1627–1633 | date = January 2010 | pmid = 19933275 | pmc = 2804320 | doi = 10.1074/jbc.M109.080556 | doi-access = free }}</ref>[[File:CoA_Sources_and_Uses.png|thumb|Some of the sources that CoA comes from and uses in the cell.]]