acetilkoA

AcetilkoA is a term occasionally used in various texts to refer to acetyl-CoA, a central metabolite and essential coenzyme in cellular metabolism. While acetyl-CoA is the standard name in most biochemistry references, acetilkoA appears as a spelling variant in some languages or older works. In this article, acetilkoA denotes the same molecule: the acetylated form of coenzyme A that participates in energy production and biosynthetic processes.

Chemically, acetilkoA is a thioester formed by the combination of an acetyl group with coenzyme A. It features a pantetheine arm linked to an adenosine diphosphate (ADP) moiety and contains a highly reactive thioester bond, which drives subsequent transfer reactions in metabolism. This reactive bond allows acetyl groups to be donated to various acceptors, including other metabolic intermediates and biomolecules.

Biological role is multifaceted. In mitochondria, acetilkoA is produced from pyruvate by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. It then enters the citric acid cycle by condensing with oxaloacetate to form citrate via citrate synthase. Citrate can exit the mitochondrion to the cytosol, where ATP-citrate lyase cleaves it back to acetilkoA and oxaloacetate; the cytosolic acetilkoA serves as a key substrate for fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis. AcetilkoA also serves as an acetyl group donor in protein acetylation, including histone acetylation, linking metabolism to epigenetic regulation.

Regulation involves cellular energy status, redox balance (NADH/NAD+), and substrate availability. PDH activity, citrate export, and ACLY or alternative pathways (such as ACSS2-mediated acetyl-CoA production from acetate) modulate acetilkoA levels in different compartments.