Enoyl Coenzyme A Hydratase Domain Containing Protein 3 (ECHDC3)

ECHDC3 belongs to the enoyl-CoA hydratase/isomerase family. Enoyl-CoA hydratase is an enzyme that hydrates the double bond between the second and third carbons on acyl-CoA. This enzyme, also known as crotonase, is essential to metabolizing fatty acids to produce both acetyl CoA and energy. Note the crystal structure at right of enoyl-coa hydratase from a rat. The crystal structure shows a hexamer formation (not universal, but human enzyme is also hexameric), which leads to the efficiency of this protein. This enzyme has been discovered to be highly efficient. In fact this enzyme is so efficient that the rate is equivalent to that of diffusion controlled reactions. Enoyl-CoA hydratase catalyzes the second step in the break down of fatty acids or the second step of β-oxidation in fatty acid metabolism shown below.