A.
In the first step, dehydrogenation of fatty acyl–CoA produces a double bond between the α and β carbon atoms (C-2 and C-3), yielding a trans -Δ 2 -enoyl-Co This first step is catalyzed by three isozymes of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, each specific for a range of fatty-acyl chain lengths: very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD), acting on fatty acids of 12 to 18 carbons; medium-chain (MCAD), acting on fatty acids of 4 to 14 carbons; and short-chain (SCAD), acting on fatty acids of 4 to 8 carbons.
B.
In the second step of the β-oxidation cycle, water is added to the double bond of the trans -Δ 2 -enoyl-CoA to form the L stereoisomer of β-hydroxyacyl-CoA (3-hydroxyacyl-CoA). This reaction, catalyzed by enoyl-CoA hydratase, is formally analogous to the fumarase reaction in the citric acid cycle, in which H 2 O adds across an α-β double bond.
C.
In the third step, L β-hydroxyacyl-CoA is dehydrogenated to form β-ketoacyl-CoA, by the action of β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase; NAD + is the electron acceptor. This enzyme is absolutely specific for the L stereoisomer of hydroxyacyl-Co The NADH formed in the reaction donates its electrons to NADH dehydrogenase, an electron carrier of the respiratory chain, and ATP is formed from ADP as the electrons pass to O 2 . The reaction catalyzed by β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase is closely analogous to the malate dehydrogenase reaction of the citric acid cycle.
D.
The fourth and last step of the β-oxidation cycle is catalyzed by acyl-CoA acetyltransferase, more commonly called thiolase, which promotes reaction of β-ketoacyl-CoA with a molecule of free coenzyme A to split off the carboxyl-terminal two-carbon fragment of the original fatty acid as acetyl-Co The other product is the coenzyme A thioester of the fatty acid, now shortened by two carbon atoms. This reaction is called thiolysis, by analogy with the process of hydrolysis, because the β-ketoacyl-CoA is cleaved by reaction with the thiol group of coenzyme The thiolase reaction is a reverse Claisen condensation.