of pathogens such as parasitic protozoa, fungi, and viruses (5-12). N-Myristoylation is a multistep process initiated by the binding of myristoyl-CoA to the N-terminal domain of apo-NMT, covalent linkage of the myristoyl chain to the glycine residue, and release of CoA, followed by the final release of the acyl peptide. In retinal photoreceptor cells, C 14:1 and C 14:2 rather than C 14:0 are the fatty acids used to modify proteins such as the -subunit of the G-protein photoreceptor (13-15). While the 14-carbon chain is the preferred substrate, NMT proteins lack binding specificity for C 14-CoA. This renders NMT incapable of preventing the unwarranted occupation of the site by acyl-CoA species other than C 14-CoA (4-6, 10, 13). Because the transfer rate of acyl chains with a length other than C 14 is extremely slow, binding of the "wrong" acyl-CoA blocks the myristoyltransferase cycle for NMT enzymes. In the cell, the greater abundance of acyl-CoAs such as C 16-CoA compared with C 14-CoA would therefore prevent protein myristoylation. It follows that mechanisms that prevent binding or trigger the release of these nontransferable competitors from the myristoyl-CoA binding site are essential in supporting NMT enzyme activity. Acyl-CoA binding domain-containing (ACBD) proteins are involved in the maintenance of diverse cellular functions. They interact with a multitude of proteins and can be located in the cytosol, organelles, or nucleus; bound to membranes; or secreted (16, 17). This protein family regulates processes as diverse as neural stem-cell self-renewal, protein and lipid acylation, lipid homeostasis, intracellular vesicle trafficking, organelle formation, viral replication, and apoptotic response (18-35). Plant ACBD proteins are also implicated in essential functions such as embryogenesis and resistance to various stresses (36-38). Acyl-CoAs