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.

中文翻译：

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哺乳动物脂肪酸结合蛋白的新兴功能和机制。

脂肪酸结合蛋白 (FABP) 是丰富的细胞内蛋白质，可以高亲和力结合长链脂肪酸。已经鉴定了九个独立的哺乳动物 FABP，它们的三级结构高度保守。FABPs 具有独特的组织特异性分布，长期以来一直暗示它们之间的功能差异。在过去十年中，在理解 FABP 的特定功能以及在某些情况下在分子水平上的作用机制方面取得了相当大的进展。FABP 似乎通过与细胞器膜和特定蛋白质的相互作用在细胞质内运输它们的配体，从而参与细胞的核外区室。已显示 FABP 家族的几个成员通过配体依赖性易位到细胞核直接在同源核转录因子活性的调节中起作用。本综述将重点关注 FABP 的这些新兴功能和机制，重点介绍每种功能和机制的独特功能特性以及它们之间的相似之处。