Acyl-CoA thioesterases are a group of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of acyl-CoAs to the free fatty acid and coenzyme A (CoASH), providing the potential to regulate intracellular levels of acyl-CoAs, free fatty acids and CoASH. H2O + hexadecanoyl-CoA = CoA + H(+) + hexadecanoate Homodimer. Expressed in all tissues examined. Up-regulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (at protein level). A functional variant in the transcriptional regulatory region of in ACOT7L cosegregates with disease phenotype in family affected by nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The variant creates an AP1-binding site that significantly enhances binding of AP1 to the promoter, resulting in up-regulation. Could be the product of a pseudogene. The peptide used to produce antibodies against ACOT7L matches at 85% with ACOT7 and the antibodies may not be specific to ACOT7L.