The Emerging Functions and Mechanisms of Mammalian Fatty Acid–Binding Proteins

Abstract

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are abundant intracellular proteins that bind long-chain fatty acids with high affinity. Nine separate mammalian FABPs have been identified, and their tertiary structures are highly conserved. The FABPs have unique tissue-specific distributions that have long suggested functional differences among them. In the last decade, considerable progress has been made in understanding the specific functions of the FABPs and, in some cases, their mechanisms of action at the molecular level. The FABPs appear to be involved in the extranuclear compartments of the cell by trafficking their ligands within the cytosol via interactions with organelle membranes and specific proteins. Several members of the FABP family have been shown to function directly in the regulation of cognate nuclear transcription factor activity via ligand-dependent translocation to the nucleus. This review will focus on these emerging functions and mechanisms of the FABPs, highlighting the unique functional properties of each as well as the similarities among them.

Effects of long-term starvation and refeeding on fatty acid metabolism-relatedgene expressions in the liver of zebrafish, Danio rerio

“…Rapid fat metabolism occurs in the intestine, liver, adipose tissue, and muscle. Therefore, high fabp gene expression levels are associated with the intake and use of fatty acids in these tissues (30). Hence, the decrease in fabp expressions in the liver is likely due to fatty acid levels that were too low to trigger fabp expressions.…”

Association of FABP5 Expression With Poor Survival in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

“…18,19 In recent years, some intracellular lipid-binding proteins have emerged as potentially important factors implicated in a variety of human cancers. 20,21 In particular, FABP7 and FABP4 have been shown to be associated with the basal phenotype/patient outcome in breast cancer and as a novel prognostic factor in obese breast cancer patients, respectively. 22,23 Using a mouse mammary tumor model, alternative activation of different nuclear receptors (RAR and PPAR␤) by RA was shown to be mediated by different intracellular lipid-binding proteins (CRABP2 in the case of RAR and FABP5 in the case of PPAR␤).…”

Shaping Immune Responses by Dysregulated Adipokines in Obesity

“…For example, intestinal FABP (I-FABP) is primarily expressed in intestine while epidermal FABP (E-FABP) exhibits a more ubiquitous expression pattern beyond just the epidermal skin cells [25][26][27]. Thus, each individual FABP member may display unique functions in different tissues depending upon where they are located and how they are regulated.…”