Beta-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids by human fibroblasts: Evidence for a novel long-chain acyl-coenzyme a dehydrogenase

Fibroblasts from patients with long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency were found to oxidize [1-¹⁴C]linoleate at an average rate of 60% of normal but [9,10(n)-³H]myristate at an average rate of only 37% of normal, a relationship reverse from that predicted by the chain-length specificities of the three known straight-chain mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases. The residual long-chain beta-oxidative activity was found to be mitochondrial and associated with the accumulation of tetradecadienoate (C14:2w6) when the mutant fibroblasts were incubated with 100 μmol/L linoleate (C18:2w6) or eicosadienoate (C20:2w6). The results suggest the presence in human fibroblasts of a novel acyl-CoA dehydrogenase with activity toward 15 to 20 carbon-length fatty acids.