ABS538 Sigma-AldrichAnti-FABP1 Antibody

Liver fatty acid-binding protein (LFABP; FABP1) is expressed both in liver and intestinal mucosa. Mice null for LFABP were recently shown to have altered metabolism of not only fatty acids but also monoacylglycerol, the two major products of dietary triacylglycerol hydrolysis (Lagakos, W. S., Gajda, A. M., Agellon, L., Binas, B., Choi, V., Mandap, B., Russnak, T., Zhou, Y. X., and Storch, J. (2011) Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 300, G803-G814). Nevertheless, the binding and transport of monoacylglycerol (MG) by LFABP are uncertain, with conflicting reports in the literature as to whether this single chain amphiphile is in fact bound by LFABP. In the present studies, gel filtration chromatography of liver cytosol from LFABP(-/-) mice shows the absence of the low molecular weight peak of radiolabeled monoolein present in the fractions that contain LFABP in cytosol from wild type mice, indicating that LFABP binds sn-2 MG in vivo. Furthermore, solution-state NMR spectroscopy demonstrates two molecules of sn-2 monoolein bound in the LFABP binding pocket in positions similar to those found for oleate binding. Equilibrium binding affinities are ∼2-fold lower for MG compared with fatty acid. Finally, kinetic studies examining the transfer of a fluorescent MG analog show that the rate of transfer of MG is 7-fold faster from LFABP to phospholipid membranes than from membranes to membranes and occurs by an aqueous diffusion mechanism. These results provide strong support for monoacylglycerol as a physiological ligand for LFABP and further suggest that LFABP functions in the efficient intracellular transport of MG.

It has long been known that mammalian enterocytes coexpress two members of the fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) family, the intestinal FABP (IFABP) and the liver FABP (LFABP). Both bind long-chain fatty acids and have similar though not identical distributions in the intestinal tract. While a number of in vitro properties suggest the potential for different functions, the underlying reasons for expression of both proteins in the same cells are not known. Utilizing mice genetically lacking either IFABP or LFABP, we directly demonstrate that each of the enterocyte FABPs participates in specific pathways of intestinal lipid metabolism. In particular, LFABP appears to target fatty acids toward oxidative pathways and dietary monoacylglycerols toward anabolic pathways, while IFABP targets dietary fatty acids toward triacylglycerol synthesis. The two FABP-null models also displayed differences in whole body response to fasting, with LFABP-null animals losing less fat-free mass and IFABP-null animals losing more fat mass relative to wild-type mice. The metabolic changes observed in both null models appear to occur by nontranscriptional mechanisms, supporting the hypothesis that the enterocyte FABPs are specifically trafficking their ligands to their respective metabolic fates.