Avant garde fatty acid synthesis by trypanosomes.
editorial · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 16923380.
- Also identified by PMC identifier 7251752.
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Abstract
In this issue of Cell, Lee et al. (2006) report that the parasite Trypanosoma brucei synthesizes fatty acids in an unconventional way. T. brucei and two other trypanosomes use enzymes called elongases to synthesize myristate, a fourteen carbon (C14) fatty acid essential for pathogenesis. This is an unexpected finding as these enzymes were thought only to elongate already long (C16 or C18) acyl chains.
Medical subject headings
- Fatty Acids
- Myristic Acid
- Trypanosoma brucei brucei