Fig. 1
From: Engineering acyl carrier protein to enhance production of shortened fatty acids
Overview of fatty acid synthesis. Fatty acid synthesis proceeds through iterative cycles of elongation. In each cycle, the acyl chain is extended by 2-carbons using a malonyl-ACP as a carbon donor (by FabB or FabF) and subsequently reduced into a saturated chain (by FabG, FabA, FabZ, and FabI). From the first 2-carbon malonyl-ACP to the final length fatty acid processed through this cycle, the hydrophobic acyl chain is attached to and shielded by the ACP instead of existing in a free form