Description
ATP citrate lyase, aslo known as ACLY, is an enzyme that in animals represents an important step in fatty acid biosynthesis. ATP citrate lyase is the primary enzyme responsible for the synthesis of cytosolic acetyl-CoA in many tissues. The enzyme is a tetramer of apparently identical subunits. The product, acetyl-CoA, in animals serves several important biosynthetic pathways, including lipogenesis and cholesterogenesis. It is activated by insulin. In nervous tissue, ATP citrate-lyase may be involved in the biosynthesis of acetylcholine. In plants, ATP citrate lyase generates the acetyl-CoA for cytosolically-synthesized metabolites