Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China; Research Institute of Blood Lipid and Atherosclerosis, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan, 410011, China
Avash Das
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Federico Oldoni
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Panyun Wu
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China; Research Institute of Blood Lipid and Atherosclerosis, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan, 410011, China; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Jiangang Wang
Department of Health Management, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, China
Fei Luo
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China; Research Institute of Blood Lipid and Atherosclerosis, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan, 410011, China; Corresponding author. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
Zhenfei Fang
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China; Research Institute of Blood Lipid and Atherosclerosis, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan, 410011, China; Corresponding author. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
Free fatty acids (FFAs) are essential energy sources for most body tissues. A fatty acid must be converted to fatty acyl-CoA to oxidize or be incorporated into new lipids. Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 5 (ACSL5) is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial outer membrane, where it catalyzes the formation of fatty acyl-CoAs from long-chain fatty acids (C16–C20). Fatty acyl-CoAs are then used in lipid synthesis or β-oxidation mediated pathways. ACSL5 plays a pleiotropic role in lipid metabolism depending on substrate preferences, subcellular localization and tissue specificity. Here, we review the role of ACSL5 in fatty acid metabolism in multiple metabolic tissues, including the liver, small intestine, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle. Given the increasing number of studies suggesting the role of ACSL5 in glucose and lipid metabolism, we also summarized the effects of ACSL5 on circulating lipids and insulin resistance.
