It is involved in fatty acid β-oxidation and steroid metabolism (cf.

[8] The HSD17B4 gene encodes an enzyme involved in peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation.

Peroxisomal beta-oxidation of fatty acids, originally described by Lazarow and de Duve (1976), is catalyzed by 3 enzymes: acyl-CoA oxidase (see, e.g., ACOX1, MIM 609751); the 'D-bifunctional enzyme,' with enoyl-CoA hydratase and D-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity, and 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (MIM 604054).

In contrast, the L-specific bifunctional protein does not have the latter 2 activities (Jiang et al., 1997).

[supplied by OMIM][7] This article on a gene on human chromosome 5 is a stub.