How are fatty acids activated?
Fatty acids are activated by reaction with CoA to form fatty acyl CoA. The reaction normally occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum or the outer mitochondrial membrane. This is an ATP-requiring reaction, yielding AMP and pyrophosphate (PPi). Different enzymes are specific for fatty acids of different chain length. Subsequent hydrolysis of the PPi by a pyrophosphatase draws the activation to completion.
