Mechanism of phospholipid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: Acyl-CoA synthetase is not required for the incorporation of intracellular free fatty acids into phospholipid

Previous results have shown that acyl-CoA synthetase is required both for the incorporation of exogenous fatty acids into the phospholipids of $\text{E. coli}$ and for the transport of fatty acids into the cell. We have demonstrated that acyl-CoA synthetase is not required for the incorporation of intracellular free fatty acids into phospholipid. This finding indicates that the role of this enzyme in the incorporation of exogenously supplied fatty acids is primarily at the level of fatty acid transport.