Mammalian fatty acid synthase: X-ray structure of a molecular assembly line

Mammalian fatty acid synthase (FAS) is a homodimeric, multifunctional polypeptide which comprises two full sets of catalytic subunits that carry out fatty acid synthesis. A recently published X-ray structure of FAS reveals, for the first time, the organization of all active sites involved in acyl chain elongation and provides a structural framework for interpretation of extensive functional studies. Further analysis with techniques capable of providing information about single molecule conformations will eventually provide a more complete understanding of FAS.