Acyl Coenzyme A Synthetase Short Chain Family, Member 3 (ACSS3)

ACSS3 belongs to the ATP-dependent AMP-binding enzyme family, Acyl-coenzyme A synthetases (ACSs) catalyze the fundamental, initial reaction in fatty acid metabolism. ACS activity in either humans or rodents was demonstrated previously for 20 proteins, but 6 remain candidate ACSs. Amino acid sequence similarities were used to assign enzymes into subfamilies, and subfamily assignments were consistent with acyl chain length preference. Four of the 26 proteins did not fit into a subfamily, and bootstrap analysis of phylograms was consistent with evolutionary divergence. The existence of many ACSs suggests that each plays a unique role, directing the acyl-CoA product to a specific metabolic fate. Knowing the full complement of ACS genes in the human genome will facilitate future studies to characterize their specific biological functions.