| 1996 |
Rat ACSL1 (ACS1) is an acyl-CoA synthetase that activates long-chain fatty acids (C10–C18 saturated; palmitoleate, oleate, linoleate preferred among unsaturated) to acyl-CoA thioesters. Purified recombinant enzyme showed specific activity of 26.2 µmol/min/mg. Deletion mutagenesis of five structural regions (NH2-terminus, two luciferase-like regions, linker, COOH-terminus) showed all five regions are required for enzymatic activity. |
Recombinant protein overexpression in E. coli, purification to homogeneity, in vitro enzymatic assay, deletion mutagenesis |
European journal of biochemistry |
High |
8973631
|
| 2000 |
Purified recombinant rat ACSL1 (ACS1) efficiently catalyzes thioesterification of 2-arylpropionic acid NSAIDs (ibuprofen, fenoprofen), with marked stereoselectivity for the (-)R-enantiomers, identifying ACSL1 as the major enzyme responsible for the first step of chiral inversion of these drugs in liver. |
Recombinant ACS1 overexpressed in E. coli, purified to homogeneity, in vitro Michaelis-Menten kinetic assays with R- and S-enantiomers |
Drug metabolism and disposition |
High |
10725307
|
| 1992 |
The human ACSL1 gene (FACL1) was chromosomally localized to region 3q13 by in situ hybridization. |
In situ hybridization on human chromosomes |
Cytogenetics and cell genetics |
Medium |
1531127
|
| 2011 |
Overexpressed ACSL1 localizes to mitochondria (not plasma membrane) in both HuH7 and HepG2 hepatoma cells as shown by confocal double immunofluorescence and subcellular fractionation, and its overexpression increases acyl-CoA synthetase activity and long-chain fatty acid ([3H]-oleic acid and Bodipy-C12) uptake, suggesting metabolic trapping as the mechanism driving FA uptake. |
Confocal immunofluorescence with organelle markers, subcellular fractionation, enzymatic activity assay, radiolabeled and fluorescent fatty acid uptake assay in overexpressing cells |
International journal of medical sciences |
Medium |
22022213
|
| 2012 |
Overexpressed ACSL1 localizes to mitochondria (not plasma membrane) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes as confirmed by confocal microscopy and subcellular fractionation, and increases fatty acid uptake by an indirect metabolic trapping mechanism rather than direct transport at the plasma membrane. |
Retroviral stable overexpression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, confocal microscopy, subcellular fractionation, acyl-CoA synthetase activity assay, fluorescent fatty acid uptake assay |
PloS one |
Medium |
23024797
|
| 2010 |
ACSL1 (along with FATP1) is required for AMPK activation by adiponectin and insulin in mouse adipocytes. Knockdown of Acsl1 blunted the ~2-fold rise in AMP/ATP ratio and AMPK phosphorylation triggered by adiponectin, and also reduced stimulated long-chain fatty acid uptake, placing ACSL1 activity upstream of AMP generation that activates AMPK. |
siRNA knockdown in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, AMP/ATP ratio measurement, AMPK phosphorylation by Western blot, radiolabeled fatty acid uptake assay |
FASEB journal |
Medium |
20667975
|
| 2020 |
TBK1 acts as a scaffolding protein to localize ACSL1 to mitochondria, promoting acyl-CoA generation channeled to β-oxidation. Unphosphorylated (inactive) TBK1 during fasting binds ACSL1 with high affinity at mitochondria; in TBK1-deficient liver, ACSL1 shifts to the ER, redirecting fatty acids from oxidation toward re-esterification and causing hepatic lipid accumulation. Kinase-dead TBK1 rescues fatty acid oxidation, confirming the scaffolding (non-kinase) role. |
Liver-specific TBK1 knockout mice, Co-immunoprecipitation of TBK1–ACSL1 complex, subcellular fractionation, fatty acid oxidation assay, rescue with kinase-dead TBK1 expression, isotope tracing (13C) |
Cell metabolism |
High |
33152322
|
| 2021 |
ACSL1 mediates ferroptotic cell death triggered by conjugated linolenic acid αESA by promoting its incorporation into neutral lipids including triacylglycerols. ACSL1 loss-of-function suppressed αESA-induced lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis; interference with triacylglycerol biosynthesis suppressed αESA-triggered (but not GPX4 inhibitor-triggered) ferroptosis. |
Genetic knockdown/knockout of ACSL1, lipidomics, lipid peroxidation assays, cell viability assays, pharmacologic inhibition of TG biosynthesis in diverse cancer cell types and mouse tumor model |
Nature communications |
High |
33854057
|
| 2021 |
ACSL1 localizes to the outer mitochondrial membrane via interaction of its N-terminal 100 amino acids with CPT1b in C2C12 myotubes. An N-terminal deletion mutant (Δ1-100) failed to localize to mitochondria and did not increase fatty acid oxidation, whereas wild-type ACSL1 overexpression increased FAO rates and ameliorated palmitate-induced insulin resistance. |
N-terminal deletion mutagenesis, co-immunoprecipitation of ACSL1 with CPT1b, confocal microscopy for localization, Seahorse fatty acid oxidation assay, insulin signaling assay in C2C12 myotubes |
Molecules and cells |
High |
34511469
|
| 2016 |
SREBP2 directly activates transcription of the C-ACSL1 transcript variant through a sterol regulatory element (SRE) motif in the ACSL1 C-promoter. Demonstrated by promoter-activity assays with mutated SRE, DNA-binding assays, and SREBP2 knockdown reducing ACSL1 mRNA and protein. Rosuvastatin-induced SREBP2 activation increased hepatic acyl-CoA synthetase activity and changed cholesterol ester/free cholesterol distribution. |
Promoter-luciferase reporter assay with SRE site mutagenesis, EMSA/DNA-binding assay, siRNA knockdown of SREBP2 in HepG2, in vivo rosuvastatin and high-cholesterol/fat diet mouse/hamster models |
The Journal of biological chemistry |
High |
26728456
|
| 2018 |
Hepatic ACSL1 is required for bile acid biosynthesis: adenovirus-mediated ACSL1 knockdown in mice caused hypercholesterolemia with elevated LDL-C, suppressed SREBP2 pathway and LDL receptor, and reduced liver bile acid levels with altered bile acid composition. Furthermore, ACSL1 is a transcriptional target of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR); FXR agonist obeticholic acid repressed ACSL1 in wild-type but not FXR-knockout mice. |
Adenoviral shRNA knockdown of ACSL1 in mice (HFD and normal chow), genome-wide gene expression profiling, lipid and bile acid quantification, FXR knockout mouse model with FXR agonist treatment |
Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular and cell biology of lipids |
High |
30580099
|
| 2024 |
MCL-1 binds to ACSL1 via ACSL1's non-conventional BH3-domain interacting with MCL-1's BH3-binding hydrophobic groove. This interaction supports long-chain (but not short-chain) fatty acid β-oxidation in cells, mouse livers, and hearts. Genetic loss of Mcl1, BH3 mutagenesis, or selective BH3-mimetic MCL-1 inhibitors all repressed long-chain FAO, linking MCL-1's anti-apoptotic groove to mitochondrial metabolism. |
Co-immunoprecipitation of MCL-1–ACSL1 complex, BH3-domain mutagenesis, Mcl1 conditional knockout in mice, BH3-mimetic inhibitor treatment, Seahorse fatty acid oxidation assays in cells, mouse liver and heart tissues |
Molecular cell |
High |
38503284
|
| 2024 |
Sortilin (encoded by Sort1) facilitates translocation of mitochondrial ACSL1 to the endolysosomal pathway for degradation in adipocytes, thereby reducing ACSL1-mediated fatty acid β-oxidation. Sortilin depletion in adipocytes increases mitochondrial ACSL1 abundance, activates AMPK/PGC1α signaling, promotes beige fat activation, and prevents HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice. |
Sort1 knockout/knockdown in adipocytes and mice, subcellular fractionation, Western blot for mitochondrial ACSL1, co-localization microscopy, AMPK/PGC1α signaling assays, metabolic phenotyping of HFD mice |
Nature communications |
High |
39232011
|
| 2021 |
Acsl1 knockout in mice causes severe skin barrier defects and embryonic lethality. Acsl1 deficiency markedly reduces ω-O-acylceramide (Cer[EOS]) synthesis by failing to activate linoleic acid for ω-O-esterification of ceramide precursors, while Cer[OS] (the precursor) accumulates. Triglyceride species containing linoleic acid are also reduced, implicating TG as a reservoir for linoleic acid channeled by Acsl1 into Cer[EOS] biosynthesis. |
Systemic Acsl1 knockout mice, ceramide and triglyceride lipidomics, immunofluorescence for Acsl1 expression in epidermis |
Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular and cell biology of lipids |
High |
34813948
|
| 2020 |
ACSL1 promotes ovarian cancer metastasis by increasing protein N-myristoylation of substrates (via increased myristic acid activation), activating AMP-activated protein kinase and Src signaling pathways, and enhancing fatty acid β-oxidation. |
Shotgun proteomics comparing metastatic vs non-metastatic cells, ACSL1 overexpression/knockdown, lipidomics, AMPK and Src pathway western blotting, myristoylation assay |
Oncogene |
Medium |
33082557
|
| 2023 |
ACSL1 increases N-myristoylation of ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1), inhibiting FSP1 degradation and promoting its translocation to the cell membrane, thereby increasing cellular antioxidant capacity and resistance to ferroptosis in ovarian cancer cells. |
Genetic manipulation of ACSL1 (overexpression/knockdown), lipid oxidation assays (4-HNE), FSP1 protein stability and localization assays, N-myristoylation detection, ferroptosis resistance assays |
Cell death discovery |
Medium |
36882396
|
| 2019 |
TNFα-induced pro-inflammatory phenotypic shift in monocytes (CD16, CD11b, CD11c, HLA-DR upregulation; IL-1β, MCP-1 secretion) requires ACSL1 activity and acts upstream of NF-κB activation. ACSL1 inhibition (triacsin C) or siRNA knockdown blocked TNFα-induced NF-κB phosphorylation and inflammatory marker expression; β-oxidation and ceramide biosynthesis inhibition had no such effect. |
Pharmacological ACSL1 inhibition (triacsin C), siRNA knockdown in THP-1 monocytes and primary human monocytes, flow cytometry, ELISA, NF-κB reporter assay, Western blot for NF-κB phosphorylation |
Cellular physiology and biochemistry |
Medium |
30845379
|
| 2023 |
TNFα-mediated MMP-9 expression and secretion in monocytic cells requires ACSL1, acting through the JNK/ERK/NF-κB signaling axis. ACSL1 inhibition or knockdown reduced TNFα-induced phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK, c-Jun, ERK1/2, and NF-κB p65, and NF-κB/AP-1 reporter activity. β-oxidation and ceramide biosynthesis inhibition did not affect MMP-9. |
Triacsin C pharmacological inhibition, siRNA knockdown of ACSL1 in THP-1 and primary monocytes, qRT-PCR, ELISA, Western blot for pathway phosphorylation, NF-κB/AP-1 reporter assay |
Scientific reports |
Medium |
37658104
|
| 2023 |
ACSL1 promotes foamy/inflammatory macrophage phenotype via the CD36-FABP4-p38-PPARδ signaling axis. Palmitate-induced ACSL1 upregulation drives macrophage foaming and inflammation; ACSL1 inhibition or knockdown suppressed this phenotype by downregulating FABP4 expression. In vivo, oral triacsin-C administration normalized the inflammatory/foamy monocyte phenotype under acute high-fat feeding. |
Pharmacological ACSL1 inhibition (triacsin C), siRNA knockdown in THP-1 and primary human monocytes, flow cytometry, ELISA, Western blot, in vivo oral triacsin-C in mice with acute HFF |
iScience |
Medium |
37416456
|
| 2022 |
ACSL1 transcription in macrophages is induced by high glucose via the carbohydrate response element binding protein (CHREBP) and by LPS-induced inflammation via NF-κB (p65/RELA). Both transcription factors occupy the Acsl1 promoter in BMDMs and increase Acsl1 promoter reporter activity. LPS also increases ACSL1 protein localization to membranes. |
Acsl1 reporter gene (promoter + upstream region) assays, ChIP for CHREBP and p65 binding to Acsl1 promoter in mouse BMDMs, siRNA knockdown, Western blot, RT-PCR in primary human monocytes |
PloS one |
Medium |
36054206
|
| 2017 |
Oncoproteins HBXIP upregulates ACSL1 transcription in breast cancer cells by acting as a coactivator with transcription factor Sp1, which binds the ACSL1 promoter. ChIP assays confirmed HBXIP–Sp1 occupancy at the ACSL1 promoter; HBXIP knockdown reduced ACSL1 mRNA and protein. |
ChIP assay for HBXIP/Sp1 at ACSL1 promoter, siRNA knockdown of HBXIP, overexpression of HBXIP, RT-PCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry in clinical breast cancer tissues |
Biochemical and biophysical research communications |
Medium |
28132807
|
| 2023 |
PRMT1 inhibition (GSK3368715) or PRMT1 knockout upregulates ACSL1 expression to promote ferroptosis sensitivity in AML cells. Mechanistically, PRMT1 controls H4R3me2a abundance at the ACSL1 promoter; GSK3368715 reduced H4R3me2a genome-wide and at the ACSL1 promoter, increasing ACSL1 expression. ACSL1 knockout reversed the ferroptosis sensitization caused by PRMT1 inhibition. |
PRMT1 inhibitor treatment, PRMT1 CRISPR knockout, ACSL1 CRISPR knockout, histone ChIP-seq for H4R3me2a, lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis assays in vitro and in vivo |
Molecular carcinogenesis |
Medium |
37144835
|
| 2024 |
PRMT6 interacts with STAT1 to co-regulate ACSL1 transcription. PRMT6 reduction leads to ACSL1 upregulation and increased lipid peroxidation/ferroptosis in diabetic nephropathy. PRMT6 knockout mice showed increased renal ferroptosis that was reduced by the STAT1 inhibitor fludarabine, placing PRMT6/STAT1 upstream of ACSL1 transcription. |
PRMT6 knockout mice (DN model), transcriptomic and lipidomic analyses, molecular biology assays for STAT1–PRMT6 interaction and ACSL1 transcription regulation, pharmacological STAT1 inhibition |
Cell death and differentiation |
Medium |
39134684
|
| 2024 |
PRMT7 catalyzes H4R3me1 at the HMGB2 promoter, enhancing HMGB2 transcription; HMGB2 then directly binds the ACSL1 promoter to activate ACSL1 transcription, inducing ferroptosis in pancreatic acinar cells during severe acute pancreatitis. PRMT7 inhibition alleviated ferroptosis by suppressing the HMGB2-ACSL1 pathway. |
PRMT7 overexpression/inhibition in AR42J cells and SAP mouse model, ChIP for H4R3me1 at HMGB2 promoter and HMGB2 binding at ACSL1 promoter, ferroptosis assays, lipid peroxidation measurement |
Journal of proteome research |
Medium |
38376246
|
| 2025 |
Ergosterol directly binds to ACSL1, targeting a drug-binding pocket in the acetyl-CoA synthetase-like domain 1 (ASLD1) and stabilizing the closed conformation of ACSL1's C-terminal domain, allosterically maintaining enzymatic activity. Ergosterol is enriched in mitochondria and promotes fatty acid β-oxidation through this ACSL1 allosteric activation mechanism. |
In vitro binding/structural studies (conformational change analysis), structure-activity relationship analysis of sterols vs ACSL1 and SCAP, cellular fatty acid β-oxidation assays, mitochondrial enrichment assay |
Cell reports |
Medium |
39799570
|
| 2025 |
In Parkinson's disease microglia, activated TBK1 promotes ACSL1 enrichment on the ER (opposite to its hepatic fasting role), where ACSL1 generates acyl-CoA channeled into lipid droplet biogenesis. ACSL1 overexpression also promotes TBK1 K63-ubiquitination via Nrdp1, creating a feedforward loop. NF-κB directly binds the ACSL1 promoter to drive transcription in microglia. |
Single-nucleus RNA-seq, gain/loss-of-function experiments, TBK1 activation studies, Nrdp1 ubiquitination assay, ChIP for NF-κB at ACSL1 promoter, lipid droplet quantification, dopaminergic neuron death assay |
Journal of neuroinflammation |
Medium |
40684214
|
| 2025 |
Impaired hepatic ketogenesis (via HMGCS2 loss) causes excess acetyl-CoA accumulation that drives ACSL1 translocation to the ER, where ACSL1-mediated fatty acid re-esterification promotes hepatic steatosis. L-carnitine, which buffers acetyl-CoA, reduces ER-associated ACSL1 and alleviates steatosis. |
Liver-specific HMGCS2 knockout mice, Western blot for ACSL1 subcellular fractionation (ER vs mitochondria), L-carnitine rescue experiment, human primary hepatocytes, histologic analysis of human MASH samples |
Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology |
Medium |
40692014
|
| 2023 |
FATP2 (SLC27A2) physically interacts with ACSL1 in non-small cell lung cancer cells, as shown by Co-IP. Co-transfection of si-FATP2 with pcDNA-ACSL1 further inhibited proliferation and lipid deposition and promoted fatty acid decomposition, indicating FATP2 regulates lipid metabolism through ACSL1. |
Co-immunoprecipitation (FATP2–ACSL1 interaction), siRNA knockdown of FATP2, ACSL1 overexpression, cell proliferation and lipid deposition assays |
Tissue & cell |
Low |
37172427
|
| 2022 |
ACSL1 knockdown in neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes and via AAV9 in adult mice promoted cell cycle progression from G0 to G2 phase, enhanced myocardial regeneration, and improved cardiac function after MI, associated with AKT activation and FOXO1 nuclear exclusion. |
AAV9-mediated ACSL1 knockdown in mice, primary cardiomyocyte culture, cell cycle analysis, AKT/FOXO1 pathway Western blot, cardiac function assessment (echocardiography), myocardial infarction model |
Life sciences |
Medium |
35122795
|
| 2021 |
ACSL1 inhibition (triacsin C) or knockdown suppressed acetate-plus-TNFα-synergized MCP-1 production in monocytes through the ACSL1/MAPK/NF-κB axis; ACSL1 inhibition reduced p38 MAPK, ERK1/2, and NF-κB phosphorylation and NF-κB/AP-1 activity. Neither CPT-I nor SPT inhibition recapitulated this effect, placing acyl-CoA formation specifically upstream. |
Pharmacological ACSL1 inhibition, siRNA knockdown in THP-1 monocytes, ELISA, qRT-PCR, Western blot for MAPK/NF-κB pathway phosphorylation, NF-κB/AP-1 reporter assay |
International journal of molecular sciences |
Medium |
34299302
|