engineering

Icosanoyl-CoA synthase

Icosanoyl-CoA synthase is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Icosanoyl-CoA synthase rather than just read about it. In short: In enzymology, an icosanoyl-CoA synthase (EC 2.3.1.119) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction stearoyl-CoA + malonyl-CoA + 2 NAD(P)H + 2 H+ ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } icosanoyl-CoA + CO2 + CoA + 2 NAD(P)+ + H2O The 5 substrates of this enzyme are stearoyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, NADH, NADPH, and H+, whereas its 6 products are icosanoyl-CoA, CO2, CoA, NAD+, NADP+, and H2O. This enzyme belongs to the…

Key takeaways

Icosanoyl-CoA synthase belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Icosanoyl-CoA synthase to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Icosanoyl-CoA synthase from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In enzymology, an icosanoyl-CoA synthase (EC 2.3.1.119) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

stearoyl-CoA + malonyl-CoA + 2 NAD(P)H + 2 H+ ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } icosanoyl-CoA + CO2 + CoA + 2 NAD(P)+ + H2O The 5 substrates of this enzyme are stearoyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, NADH, NADPH, and H+, whereas its 6 products are icosanoyl-CoA, CO2, CoA, NAD+, NADP+, and H2O. This enzyme belongs to the family of transferases, specifically those acyltransferases transferring groups other than aminoacyl groups. The systematic name of this enzyme class is stearoyl-CoA:malonyl-CoA C-acyltransferase (decarboxylating, oxoacyl- and enoyl-reducing). Other names in common use include acyl-CoA elongase, C18-CoA elongase, and stearoyl-CoA elongase.

References

Bessoule JJ, Lessire R, Cassagne C (1989). "Partial purification of the acyl-CoA elongase of Allium porrum leaves". Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 268 (2): 475–84. doi:10.1016/0003-9861(89)90315-9. PMID 2913944. Bessoule JJ, Lessire R, Rigoulet M, Guerin B, Cassagne C (1987). "Fatty acid synthesis in mitochondria from Saccharomyces cerevisiae". FEBS Lett. 214 (1): 158–62. Bibcode:1987FEBSL.214..158B. doi:10.1016/0014-5793(87)80033-9. PMID 3552725. Lessire R, Bessoule JJ, Cassagne C (1985). "Solubilization of C18 CoA and C20 CoA elongases from Allium porrum L. epidermal-cell microsomes". FEBS Lett. 187 (2): 314–320. Bibcode:1985FEBSL.187..314L. doi:10.1016/0014-5793(85)81267-9.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Icosanoyl-CoA synthase

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Icosanoyl-CoA synthase claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Icosanoyl-CoA synthase before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Icosanoyl-CoA synthase ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Icosanoyl-CoA synthase

In research: Icosanoyl-CoA synthase appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Icosanoyl-CoA synthase in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Icosanoyl-CoA synthase is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EC 2.3.1, EC 2.3 stubs, Enzymes of unknown structure, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Icosanoyl-CoA synthase outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Icosanoyl-CoA synthase in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Icosanoyl-CoA synthase means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Icosanoyl-CoA synthase out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Icosanoyl-CoA synthase in simple terms?

In enzymology, an icosanoyl-CoA synthase (EC 2.3.1.119) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction stearoyl-CoA + malonyl-CoA + 2 NAD(P)H + 2 H+ ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } icosanoyl-CoA + CO2 + CoA + 2 NAD(P)+ + H2O The 5 substrates of this enzyme are stearoyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, NA…

Why does Icosanoyl-CoA synthase matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Icosanoyl-CoA synthase?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Icosanoyl-CoA synthase.