It is the abbreviated form of acetyl coenzyme A which is a molecule that acts as a precursor for many biochemical reactions in organisms.
Sources of Acetyl-CoA:
During glycolysis (breakdown of glucose), the final product pyruvate undergoes oxidative decarboxylation to produce acetyl-CoA.
It is the main intermediate during lipid metabolism.
Acetyl-CoA undergoes oxidation and gets converted to CO2 in the Citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) for the production of energy.
During fatty acid synthesis, acetyl-CoA is used to activate fatty acid molecules so that they can be transported from the cytosol into the mitochondria.
In the mitochondria, fatty acids are converted to acetyl-CoA by beta-oxidation.
In the cytosol, acetyl-CoA in turn helps in the synthesis of these fatty acids.
During amino acid catabolism, some of the deaminated amino acids enter the Krebs cycle in the form of acetyl-CoA.