deltaketoacyl

Deltaketoacyl is a descriptor used in biochemistry to denote a ketoacyl fragment in which a carbonyl group (a ketone) is located at the delta position of an acyl chain. The delta position is defined relative to one end of the chain, so a deltaketoacyl indicates a ketone at that downstream carbon. Because there is no single universal convention for naming delta-position keto groups, the term is usually clarified with explicit structural information (for example, the exact carbon numbers, SMILES, or a structural diagram).

In metabolic contexts, deltaketoacyl descriptors may appear in discussions of fatty acid synthesis or degradation and in some polyketide biosynthesis schemes where various ketoacyl intermediates are encountered. However, deltaketoacyl is not a standard term in formal nomenclature, and beta- or gamma-ketoacyl terminology is more commonly used. When used, it is important to specify the reference end and numbering scheme to avoid ambiguity.

See also: beta-ketoacyl, 3-oxoacyl, acyl carrier protein, polyketide synthase. Note: The delta-based approach can be ambiguous without explicit structural description, so researchers should provide that information to ensure correct interpretation.