Dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) is converted to 1-acyl glycerone 3-phosphate (GO3P) by the enzyme dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase (GNPAT) (de Vet et al. 1999, Ofman et al. 1994). This reaction step links Glycerolipid metabolism to Ether lipid metabolism.
Peroxisomal glyceronephosphate O-acyltransferase (GNPAT) catalyzes the reaction of palmitoyl-CoA and DHAP to form 1-palmitoyl glycerone phosphate (1-palmitoyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate) and CoASH. The active form of the enzyme is one subunit of a heterotrimer with two molecules of the alkylglycerone phosphate synthase (AGPS) enzyme (Biermann et al. 1999). It was first purified and characterized biochemically by Ofman and Wanders (1994). Mutations in the GNPAT gene are associated with rhizomelic chondrodysplasia type 2 (Ofman et al. 1998, 2001).
Peroxisomal alkylglycerone phosphate synthase (AGPS) catalyzes the reaction of 1-palmitoylglycerone phosphate and hexadecanol to form O-hexadecylglycerone phosphate and palmitate. The active form of the enzyme is post-translationally cleaved to remove its 58 aminoterminal residues, has a molecule of FAD as a cofactor, and occurs in the peroxisome as a complex with glyceronephosphate O-acyltransferase (GNPAT) (Biermann et al. 1999; Bierman and van den Bosch 1999; de Vet et al. 2000).