title: Mechanism of fluorescent fatty acid transfer from adipocyte fatty acid binding protein to membranes.
abstract: Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) is a 15-kDa protein found in high abundance in the cytosol of adipose cells. To better understand the role of this protein in intracellular free fatty acid (ffa) transport, the mechanism of ffa transfer from A-FABP to model membranes was examined by monitoring the transfer of fluorescent anthroyloxy ffa (AOffa) to small unilamellar phospholipid vesicles, using a resonance energy transfer assay. Structural features of ffa that increase aqueous solubility, such as shorter chain length and unsaturation, did not increase the AOffa transfer rate. In addition, solution conditions that increase the aqueous solubility of ffa, such as decreasing ionic strength and increasing pH, had little effect on AOffa transfer from A-FABP to membranes. These results suggest that AOffa do not transfer through the aqueous phase. The small entropic contribution to the free energy of the transfer process provides further evidence that AOffa may not travel through the surrounding aqueous environment when transferred from A-FABP to phospholipid membranes. Finally, the rate of AOffa transfer from A-FABP was directly dependent on the concentration of the acceptor membranes. These studies suggest that AOffa transfer from A-FABP to phospholipid vesicles may occur via transient collisional interactions between the protein and membranes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Wootan
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bernlohr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Storch
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002151:Calorimetry; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004735:Energy Transfer; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007700:Kinetics; D008081:Liposomes; D051379:Mice; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; C082667:Fabp5 protein, mouse; C086936:Fabp7 protein, mouse; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008081:Liposomes; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins