When Acids Are Synthesized
(To the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home")
Copyright © 2007 Kevin Ahern

I am very pleased that Tim Karplus has made a professional recording of this song (more to come!). A downloadable MP3 of this song can be downloaded HERE and others can be downloaded HERE. You will need to unzip the file to release the MP3. This song is also contained on the new Metabolic Melodies CD available for sale HERE.

The 16 carbon fatty acid, palmitate
Gets all the carbons that it needs from acetate
Which citric acid helps release
From mitochondri - matrices
Oh a shuttle's great
When acids are synthesized

Carboxylase takes substrate and it puts within
Dioxy carbon carried on a biotin
CoA's all gain a quick release
Replaced by larger ACPs
And it all begins
When acids are synthesized

A malonate contributes to the growing chain
Two carbons seven times around again, again
For saturated acyl-ates
There's lots of N-A-DPH
That you must obtain
When acids are synthesized

Palmitic acid made this way all gets released
Desaturases act to make omega-threes
The finished products big and small
Form esters with a glycerol
So you get obese
When acids are synthesized

Back to Kevin Ahern's Metabolic Melodies