Malate synthase A (MSA), present in some bacteria, plants and fungi. Prokaryotic MSAs tend to be monomeric, whereas eukaryotic enzymes are homomultimers. In general, malate synthase catalyzes the Claisen condensation of glyoxylate and acetyl-CoA to malyl-CoA, which hydrolyzes to malate and CoA. This reaction is part of the glyoxylate cycle, which allows certain organisms, like plants and fungi, to derive their carbon requirements from two-carbon compounds, by bypassing the two carboxylation steps of the citric acid cycle.