Fig. 1. Schematic representation of the steps of the fatty acid pathway in plants involved with saturated fatty acid biosynthesis. Key enzymes in the pathway are depicted in elliptical boxes. The condensation enzyme KAS II is part of the fatty acid synthase (FAS) complex. The mutant fap₂ locus is believed to be the result a debilitating mutation in a KAS II gene. ACC, acetyl Co-A carboxylase; FAT-B, fatty acid thioesterase B; ACS, acyl-CoA synthase.