Fat metabolism in higher plants. XV. Enzymic synthesis of fatty acids by an extract of avocado mesocarp.

Cell-free systems that catalyze the condensation of acetylcoenzyme A to form long chain fatty acids have been prepared from chicken liver by Wakil et al. (l), from yeast by Lynen (2), and from rat liver and brain by Brady, Bradley, and Trams (3, 4). In 1957, Stumpf and Barber (5) described a mitochondrial system isolated from avocado mesocarp that incorporated (Y-acetate into long chain fatty acids, mostly as triglycerides. In 1958, Squires et al. (6) prepared a water-soluble system from these particles that readily formed long chain fatty acids, provided COZ was added, and in 1959, Stumpf et al. (7) demonstrated sensitivity of this system to avidin. This paper will describe the preparation and properties of a water-soluble enzyme system from mitochondrial particles of the avocado mesocarp. This system catalyzes the incorporation of acetylcoenzyme A and malonylcoenzyme A to long chain fatty acids.