This article is available online at http://www.jlr.org Supplementary key words peroxisome ⹠very long chain FA ⹠glia ⹠nitric oxide ⹠cytokine ⹠suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid ⹠X-adrenoleukodystrophy X-adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is the most common peroxisomal disorder, with an incidence of approximately 1:17,000 ( 1, 2 ). It is a postnatal progressive demyelinating disorder that primarily affects nervous system white matter and axons, the adrenal cortex, and testis ( 3-5 ). The biochemical signature of X-ALD is increased levels of saturated straight-chain very long chain FAs (VLCFAs; >22:0). VLCFA accumulates in all tissues and lipid classes; however, the degree of accumulation is higher in the cholesterol ester and sphingolipid fractions of brain white matter and adrenal cortex ( 6 ). The elevation of VLCFAs is the consequence of reduced VLCFA peroxisomal †-oxidation ( 7 ) and/or increased activity of FA elongases ( 8, 9 ). The ALD gene (ABCD1), identifi ed by positional cloning ( 10 ), encodes a protein that is related to the peroxisomal ATP binding cassette (ABCD) transmembrane transporter proteins ( 11,12 ). The function of the adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP) and its role in VLCFA metabolism and in the pathogenesis of X-ALD is not well understood at present. However, the VLCFA, especially C26:0, has been documented to cause metabolic alterations leading to membrane perturbation, redox imbalance ( 13 ), and changes in membrane lipid composition ( 14-18 ), as well as the induction of infl ammatory mediators in cultured astrocytes ( 19 ). This study was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (Grants NS-22576, NS-37766, C06 RR-018823, and C06 RR-015455, and VA merit award BX1072-01. Its Abbreviations: ALDP, adrenoleukodystrophy protein; ALDRP, adrenoleukodystrophy-related protein; AMN, adrenomyeloneuropathy; BBB, blood-brain barrier; cALD, cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy; FAME, FA methyl ester; HDAC, histone deacetylase; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; 5-LOX, 5-lipoxygenase; PA, phenylacetate; PBA, phenylbutyrate; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SAHA, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid; TNF-⣠, tumor necrosis factor-⣠; X-ALD, X-adrenoleukodystrophy; VLCFA, very long chain FA.