Human Acetoacetyl-CoA Synthetase (AACS) Protein

Background

The acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase (AACS) gene encodes a protein of the same name, which converts acetoacetate to acetoacetyl-CoA, and plays a crucial role in ketone body utilization and fatty acid synthesis. The gene is found on human chromosome 12. Ketone bodies, unlike fatty acids and triglycerides, are water-soluble. They are exported from the liver, and are taken up by other tissues, notably brain and skeletal and cardiac muscle. There, they are broken down to acetyl-CoA which is oxidized via the TCA cycle to yield energy. In a normal person, this pathway of ketone body synthesis and utilization is most active during extended periods of fasting. Under these conditions, mobilization and breakdown of stored fatty acids generates abundant acetyl-CoA acetyl-CoA in liver cells for synthesis of ketone bodies, and their utilization in other tissues minimizes the demand of these tissues for glucose