Abstract
The link between inflammation and the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis has been uncovered in the past decade. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying the co-occurrence of these metabolic and inflammatory diseases are not fully understood, several molecular players, integrating stress and inflammatory responses with metabolic homeostasis, were discovered recently. One of these molecular integration sites is through the action of cytosolic lipid chaperones or fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs), which are common to adipocytes and macrophages. Furthermore, studies in a variety of genetic models demonstrated that the FABPs aP2 and mal1 are critical mediators of many components of metabolic syndrome in mice. These exciting findings raise the possibility that FABPs represent desirable therapeutic targets for metabolic syndrome. In this review, we describe the findings demonstrating FABP’s role in metabolic and inflammatory diseases and highlight recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of FABP function at the cellular and molecular level.
Similar content being viewed by others
References and Recommended Reading
Hotamisligil GS: Inflammation and metabolic disorders. Nature 2006, 444:860–867.
Semenkovich CF: Insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. J Clin Invest 2006, 116:1813–1822.
Wellen KE, Hotamisligil GS: Inflammation, stress, and diabetes. J Clin Invest 2005, 115:1111–1119.
Makowski L, Hotamisligil GS: The role of fatty acid binding proteins in metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis. Curr Opin Lipidol 2005, 16:543–548.
Tuncman G Erbay E, Hom X, et al.: A functional genetic variant at the fatty acid binding protein, aP2, locus reduces the risk for hypertriglyceridemia, type 2 diabetes and cardivascular disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005, 103:6970–6975.
Tabas I: Consequences of cellular cholesterol accumulation: basic concepts and physiological implications. J Clin Invest 2002, 110:905–911.
Funk CD: Prostaglandins and leukotrienes: advances in eicosanoid biology. Science 2001, 294:1871–1875.
Stumvoll M, Goldstein BJ, van Haeften TW: Type 2 diabetes: principles of pathogenesis and therapy. Lancet 2005, 365:1333–1346.
Esteves A, Ehrlich R: Invertebrate intracellular fatty acid binding proteins. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2006, 142:262–274.
Chmurzynska A: The multigene family of fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs): function, structure and polymorphism. J Appl Genet 2006, 47:39–48.
Xu Z, Bernlohr DA, Banaszak LJ: Crystal structure of recombinant murine adipocyte lipid-binding protein. Biochemistry 1992, 31:3484–3492.
Reese-Wagoner A, Thompson J, Banaszak L: Structural properties of the adipocyte lipid binding protein. Biochim Biophys Acta 1999, 1441:106–116.
Maeda K, Uysal KT, Makowski L, et al.: Role of the fatty acid binding protein mal1 in obesity and insulin resistance. Diabetes 2003, 52:300–307.
Makowski L, Brittingham KC, Reynolds JM, et al.: The fatty acid-binding protein, aP2, coordinates macrophage cholesterol trafficking and inflammatory activity. Macrophage expression of aP2 impacts peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and IkappaB kinase activities. J Biol Chem 2005, 280:12888–12895.
Maeda K, Cao H, Kono K, et al.: Adipocyte/macrophage fatty acid binding proteins control integrated metabolic responses in obesity and diabetes. Cell Metab 2005, 1:107–119.
Boord JB, Maeda K, Makowski L, et al.: Combined adipocyte-macrophage fatty acid-binding protein deficiency improves metabolism, atherosclerosis, and survival in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Circulation 2004, 110:1492–1498.
Hotamisligil GS, Johnson RS, Distel RJ, et al.: Uncoupling of obesity from insulin resistance through a targeted mutation in aP2, the adipocyte fatty acid binding protein. Science 1996, 274:1377–1379.
Shaughnessy S, Smith ER, Kodukula S, et al.: Adipocyte metabolism in adipocyte fatty acid binding protein knockout mice (aP2-/-) after short-term high-fat feeding: functional compensation by the keratinocyte [correction of keritinocyte] fatty acid binding protein. Diabetes 2000, 49:904–911.
Shum BO, Mackay CR, Gorgun CZ, et al.: The adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein aP2 is required in allergic airway inflammation. J Clin Invest 2006, 116:2183–2192.
Makowski L, Boord JB, Maeda K, et al.: Lack of macrophage fatty-acid-binding protein aP2 protects mice deficient in apolipoprotein E against atherosclerosis. Nat Med 2001, 7:699–705.
Boord JB, Maeda K, Makowski L, et al.: Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, aP2, alters late atherosclerotic lesion formation in severe hypercholesterolemia. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2002, 22:1686–1691.
Fu Y, Luo N, Lopes-Virella MF, Garvey WT: The adipocyte lipid binding protein (ALBP/aP2) gene facilitates foam cell formation in human THP-1 macrophages. Atherosclerosis 2002, 165:259–269.
Hertzel AV, Bernlohr DA: The mammalian fatty acid-binding protein multigene family: molecular and genetic insights into function. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2000, 11:175–180.
Vassileva G, Huwyler L, Poirier K, et al.: The intestinal fatty acid binding protein is not essential for dietary fat absorption in mice. FASEB J 2000, 14:2040–2046.
Martin GG, Danneberg H, Kumar LS, et al.: Decreased liver fatty acid binding capacity and altered liver lipid distribution in mice lacking the liver fatty acid-binding protein gene. J Biol Chem 2003, 278:21429–21438.
Martin GG, Atshaves BP, McIntosh AL, et al.: Liver fatty acid binding protein gene ablation potentiates hepatic cholesterol accumulation in cholesterol-fed female mice. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2006, 290:G36–G48.
Newberry EP, Xie Y, Kennedy SM, et al.: Protection against Western diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis in liver fatty acid-binding protein knockout mice. Hepatology 2006, 44:1191–1205.
Binas B, Erol E: FABPs as determinants of myocellular and hepatic fuel metabolism. Mol Cell Biochem 2006, In press.
Shearer J, Fueger PT, Bracy DP, et al.: Partial gene deletion of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein limits the severity of dietary-induced insulin resistance. Diabetes 2005, 54:3133–3139.
Weisberg SP, McCann D, Desai M, et al.: Obesity is associated with macrophage accumulation in adipose tissue. J Clin Invest 2003, 112:1796–1808.
Xu H, Barnes GT, Yang Q, et al.: Chronic inflammation in fat plays a crucial role in the development of obesity-related insulin resistance. J Clin Invest 2003, 112:1821–1830.
Arkan MC, Hevener AL, Greten FR, et al.: IKK-beta links inflammation to obesity-induced insulin resistance. Nat Med 2005, 11:191–198.
Fu Y, Luo L, Luo N, Garvey WT: Lipid metabolism mediated by adipocyte lipid binding protein (ALBP/aP2) gene expression in human THP-1 macrophages. Atherosclerosis 2006, 188:102–111.
Adida A, Spener F: Adipocyte-type fatty acid-binding protein as inter-compartmental shuttle for peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma agonists in cultured cell. Biochim Biophys Acta 2006, 1761:172–181.
Minokoshi Y, Kim YB, Peroni OD, et al.: Leptin stimulates fatty-acid oxidation by activating AMP-activated protein kinase. Nature 2002, 415:339–343.
Cao H, Maeda K, Gorgun CZ, et al.: Regulation of metabolic responses by adipocyte/macrophage Fatty Acid-binding proteins in leptin-deficient mice. Diabetes 2006, 55:1915–1922.
Desvergne B, Wahli W: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors: nuclear control of metabolism. Endocr Rev 1999, 20:649–688.
Shen WJ, Liang Y, Hong R, et al.: Characterization of the functional interaction of adipocyte lipid-binding protein with hormone-sensitive lipase. J Biol Chem 2001, 276:49443–49448.
Lehmann F, Haile S, Axen E, et al.: Discovery of inhibitors of human adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, a potential type 2 diabetes target. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2004, 14:4445–4448.
Ringom R, Axen E, Uppenberg J, et al.: Substituted benzylamino-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrimidin-4(1H)-ones: a novel class of selective human A-FABP inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2004, 14:4449–4452.
Gromova I, Gromov P, Wolf H, Celis JE: Protein abundancy and mRNA levels of the adipocyte-type fatty acid binding protein correlate in non-invasive and invasive bladder transitional cell carcinomas. Int J Oncol 1998, 13:379–383.
Adamson J, Morgan EA, Beesley C, et al.: High-level expression of cutaneous fatty acid-binding protein in prostatic carcinomas and its effect on tumorigenicity. Oncogene 2003, 22:2739–2749.
Yang Y, Spitzer E, Kenney N, et al.: Members of the fatty acid binding protein family are differentiation factors for the mammary gland. J Cell Biol 1994, 127:1097–1109.
Naundorf H, Zschiesche W, Reszka R, Fichtner I: Influence of liposomes rich in unsaturated or saturated fatty acids on the growth of human xenotransplanted mammary carcinomas and on the levels of heart type fatty acid binding protein. In Vivo 1995, 9:247–251.
Theocharis S, Margeli A, Vielh P, Kouraklis G: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ligands as cell-cycle modulators. Cancer Treat Rev 2004, 30:545–554.
Daynes RA, Jones DC: Emerging roles of PPARs in inflammation and immunity. Nat Rev Immunol 2002, 2:748–759.
Murphy CT, McCarroll SA, Bargmann CI, et al.: Genes that act downstream of DAF-16 to influence the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature 2003, 424:277–283.
Ha MK, Soo Cho J, Baik OR, et al.: Caenorhabditis elegans as a screening tool for the endothelial cell-derived putative aging-related proteins detected by proteomic analysis. Proteomics 2006, 6:3339–3351.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Erbay, E., Cao, H. & Hotamisligil, G.S. Adipocyte/macrophage fatty acid binding proteins in metabolic syndrome. Curr Atheroscler Rep 9, 222–229 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-007-0023-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-007-0023-6