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Initiating Step:
Before fatty acids can be oxidized, they must first undergo
an initiating or priming step. Fatty acids in the cytoplasm must
cross the mitachondrial membrane before the oxidations begin.
Simple fatty acids are unable to cross this membrane unassisted.
The overall initiating step is the reaction of the fatty acid
with coenzyme A in a thioester formation. This reaction requires
energy and is therefore coupled with the hydrolysis of ATP to
AMP.
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