Peroxisomal acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1(ACOX1 or AOX) is the first enzyme of the fatty acid beta-oxidation pathway and belongs to the Acyl-CoA oxidase family. Human liver peroxisomes contain two acyl-CoA oxidases, namely, palmitoyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX1/AOX) and a branched chain acyl-CoA oxidase. The palmitoyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX1/AOX) oxidizes the CoA esters of straight chain fatty acids and prostaglandins and donates electrons directly to molecular oxygen, thereby producing H2O2. Human ACOX1/AOX is a protein of 661-amino acids, including the carboxyl-terminal sequence(Ser-Lys-Leu) known as a minimal peroxisome-targeting signal. Human ACOX1/AOX, the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the peroxisomal β-oxidation pathway, has two isoforms including ACOX1a and ACOX1b, transcribed from a single gene. The human ACOX1b isoform is more effective than the ACOX1a isoform in reversing the Acox1 null phenotype in the mouse partly because of the Substrate utilization differences.
