Fatty acid synthesis is mainly carried out in liver cells and involves multple processes and is not the reverse of fatty acid oxidation. Fatty acid synthesis consists of 3 steps; acetyl-CoA transport, malonyl-CoA formation and the synthesis cycle. The product of fatty acid synthesis is palmitate. The first step being acetyl-CoA transport involves acetlyl-CoA being transported from the mitochondrial matrix directly into the cytoplasm. The second step is malonyl-CoA formation and this occurs when acetyl-CoA is carboxylated to form this compound which is direct substrate of fatty acid synthesis and is catalyzed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase. The last step to create palmitate is the synthesis cycle. This cycle involves several sequential cycles of reactions. The priming step then each cycle adds two carbons from malonyl-CoA. All fatty acid chains that are produced by the enzyme fatty acid synthase are 16 carbon chains long however, with both elongation and desaturation the ability to generate other fatty acids is possible making them each different. When fatty acids are desaturated, double bonds are added. These double bonds result in a less of an energy yield when they are broken because they are more oxidized.
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