ACSL6: Proteins and Enzymes

Long-chain-fatty-acid--CoA ligase 6, or ACSL6, is an isozyme of the long-chain fatty-acid-coenzyme A ligase family. These proteins play an important role in both the synthesis of cellular lipids and in beta-oxidation degradation. Like other isozymes of this family, ALCS6 converts free long-chain fatty acids into fatty acyl-CoA esters. Specifially, ACSL6 is critical for fatty acid metabolism in the brain and the acyl-CoAs produced may be utilized exclusively for the synthesis of the brain lipid.

ACSL6 is expressed predominantly in erythrocyte precursors, in particular in reticulocytes, fetal blood cells derived from fetal liver, hemopoietic stem cells from cord blood, bone marrow and brain.