Question

Fatty acids are activated to acyl-CoAs and the acyl group is further transferred to carnitine because:

a. acyl-carnitines readily cross the mitochondrial inner membrane, but acyl-CoAs do not.
b. acyl-CoAs easily cross the mitochondrial membrane, but the fatty acids themselves will not.
c. carnitine is required to oxidize NAD + to NADH.
d. fatty acids cannot be oxidize.

Answer 1

The correct answer is a acyl-carnitine readily cross the mitochondrial inner membrane but the acyl CoA do not.

Step-by-step explanation:

Fatty acids are activated to form fatty acyl CoA by the help of ATP and CoA SH.But the so formed Acyl CoA cannot cross or pass the inner mitochondrial membrane to enter the mitochondrial matrix to initiate beta oxidation of fatty acid.

To overcome this problem fatty acyl CoA is converted to acyl carnitine and the so formed acyl carnitine readily crosses the inner mitochondrial membrane and enters the mitochondrial matrix.