acetylcoenzyme A

acetylcoenzyme A

[əsē′til·kō·en′zīm, as′ətil-]

a biomolecule that carries an activated form of the 2-carbon acetyl unit found in the course of several important metabolic processes. The formation of acetylcoenzyme A is the critical intermediate step between anaerobic glycolysis and the citric acid cycle. Also called acetyl-CoA.

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acetylcoenzyme A

acetyl-CoA, the carrier of acetyl groups into the tricarboxylic acid (Krebs) cycle and the chief precursor of lipids; it is formed by the attachment to coenzyme A of an acetyl group during the oxidation of pyruvate, fatty acids or amino acids.

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acetylcoenzyme A

See Acetyl-CoA.