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A heat-stable coenzyme that acts as a carrier of acyl groups in many metabolic processes, such as fatty-acid and pyruvate oxidation. Coenzyme A is a sulphur-containing molecule formed from ATP, pantothenic acid, and cysteine. The -SH group of coenzyme A can react with acetate to form acetyl CoA in the reversible reaction; CoA-SH + CH3COOH ↔ CoA-SCOCH3 Acetyl CoA can then react with an acyl acceptor to form an acylated product and release free coenzyme A. An example is the reaction of acetyl CoA and oxaloacetate to form citrate.
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