Physiological roles of the pantothenate kinases

CoA (coenzyme A) is an essential cofactor that is involved in many metabolic processes. CoA is derived from pantothenate in five biosynthetic reactions. The CoA biosynthetic pathway is regulated by PanKs (pantothenate kinases) and four active isoforms are expressed in mammals. The critical physiological functions of the PanKs are revealed by systematic deletion of the Pank genes in mice.