In enzymology, an acetoacetate—CoA ligase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
ATP + acetoacetate + CoA AMP + diphosphate + acetoacetyl-CoA
The 3 substrates of this enzyme are ATP, acetoacetate, and CoA, whereas its 3 products are AMP, diphosphate, and acetoacetyl-CoA.
This enzyme belongs to the family of ligases, specifically those forming carbon-sulfur bonds as acid-thiol ligases. The systematic name of this enzyme class is acetoacetate:CoA ligase (AMP-forming). This enzyme is also called acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase. This enzyme participates in butanoate metabolism.
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