page_title: Pantothenate kinase
section_title: Catalytic Mechanism
hierarchical_section_title: Pantothenate kinase / Catalytic Mechanism
caption_attribution_description: English: Proposed catalytic mechanism
context_page_description: Pantothenate kinase is the first enzyme in the Coenzyme A biosynthetic pathway. It phosphorylates pantothenate to form 4'-phosphopantothenate at the expense of a molecule of adenosine triphosphate. It is the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of CoA.
  CoA is a necessary cofactor in all living organisms. It acts as the major acyl group carrier in many important cellular processes, such as the citric acid cycle and fatty acid metabolism. Consequently, pantothenate kinase is a key regulatory enzyme in the CoA biosynthetic pathway.
caption: Fig. 3 Proposed catalytic mechanism for PanK-II
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