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Review
. 2006 Dec;1763(12):1403-12.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2006.07.012. Epub 2006 Jul 26.

Alpha-oxidation

Gerbert A Jansen  1 , Ronald J A Wanders
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Alpha-oxidation

Gerbert A Jansen et al. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2006 Dec.
Free article

Abstract

Phytanic acid (3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadecanoic acid) is a branched chain fatty acid, which is a constituent of the human diet. The presence of the 3-methyl group of phytanic acid prevents degradation by beta-oxidation. Instead, the terminal carboxyl group is first removed by alpha-oxidation. The mechanism of the alpha-oxidation pathway and the enzymes involved are described in this review.

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