Fatty acid synthase is a multi-enzyme protein that catalyzes fatty acid synthesis. It is not a single enzyme but a whole enzymatic system composed of two identical 272 kDa multifunctional polypeptides, in which substrates are handed from one functional domain to the next. Its main function is to catalyze the synthesis of palmitate (C16:0, a long-chain saturated fatty acid) from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, in the presence of NADPH. FAS is upregulated in breast and gastric cancers, as well as being an indicator of poor prognosis, and so may be worthwhile as a chemotherapeutic target. FAS may also be involved in the production of an endogenous ligand for the nuclear receptor PPAR alpha, the target of the fibrate drugs for hyperlipidemia, and is being investigated as a possible drug target for treating the metabolic syndrome.
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