Chirality of 3 hydroxyoctadecanoic acid from stearoyl CoA by rat liver soluble enzymes

One of the transformation products formed from stearoyl CoA by the soluble enzymes of rat liver homogenate has been identified as 3 hydroxyoctadecanoic acid. The chirality of this acid obtained from incubation of [1 14C]stearoyl CoA with the 105,000 g soluble enzymes of rat liver has been determined. After 10 and 20 min of incubation 70% of the L(+) and 30% of the D(-) enantiomer are formed, whereas racemic 3 hydroxyoctadecanoic acid is isolated after 90 min of incubation. These results suggest either that an epimerizing enzyme is present in the soluble fraction or that 2 enzymes, each specifically forming one of the 2 enantiomers, are present.