Besides serving as essential substrates for β-oxidation and synthesis of triacylglycerols and more complex lipids like sphingolipids
and sterol esters, long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters are increasingly being recognized as important regulators of enzyme activities
and gene transcription. Acyl-CoA binding protein, ACBP, has been proposed to play a pivotal role in the intracellular trafficking
and utilization of long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters. Depletion of acyl-CoA binding protein in yeast results in aberrant organelle
morphology incl. fragmented vacuoles, multi-layered plasma membranes and accumulation of vesicles of variable sizes. In contrast
to synthesis and turn-over of glycerolipids, the levels of very-long-chain fatty acids, long-chain bases and ceramide are
severely affected by Acb1p depletion, suggesting that Acb1p, rather than playing a general role, serves specific roles in
cellular lipid metabolism.
Keywords ACBP - acyl-CoA - ceramide - long-chain bases - very-long chain fatty acids