Reaction: acyl-CoA + a medium-chain alcohol = CoA + a medium-chain alcohol wax ester
Other name(s): wax synthase (ambiguous); wax-ester synthase (ambiguous)
Systematic name: acyl-CoA:medium-chain-alcohol O-acyltransferase
Comments: The enzyme transfers an acyl group from an acyl-CoA to a medium-chain fatty alcohol, forming a wax ester. Wax esters have diverse biological functions in bacteria, insects, mammals, and terrestrial plants.The enzyme from the plant Petunia × hybrida prefers medium chain alcohols and saturated very long-chain acyl-CoAs. The human enzyme AWAT1 prefers decan-1-ol (C10) and has lower activity with C16, C18, and C20 alcohols. cf. EC 2.3.1.75, long-chain-alcohol O-fatty-acyltransferase.
Links to other databases: BRENDA, EXPASY, KEGG, MetaCyc, CAS registry number:
References:
1. Turkish, A.R., Henneberry, A.L., Cromley, D., Padamsee, M., Oelkers, P., Bazzi, H., Christiano, A.M., Billheimer, J.T. and Sturley, S.L. Identification of two novel human acyl-CoA wax alcohol acyltransferases: members of the diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) gene superfamily. J. Biol. Chem. 280 (2005) 14755-14764. [PMID: 15671038]
2. King, A., Nam, J.W., Han, J., Hilliard, J. and Jaworski, J.G. Cuticular wax biosynthesis in petunia petals: cloning and characterization of an alcohol-acyltransferase that synthesizes wax-esters. Planta 226 (2007) 381-394. [PMID: 17323080]