Peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes.

The enzymes involved in beta-oxidation spiral are schematically classified into two groups. The first group consists of palmitoyl-CoA oxidase, the L-bifunctional protein, which has been called as the bifunctional protein, and 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase. The second group consists of the newly confirmed enzymes, branched chain oxidase, the D-bifunctional protein, and sterol carrier protein x. The enzymes of the first group are inducible and act on the straight chain acyl-CoA substrates. But the enzymes of the second group are non-inducible and act on branched chain acyl-CoAs. Accordingly, bile acid formation and oxidation of pristanic acid derived from phytol are catalyzed by the enzymes of the second group but not by those of the first group. The functions of the peroxisomal system and methods of analysis of the enzymes are briefly summarized.