title: Is retinol binding protein 4 a link between adiposity and cancer?
abstract: Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) is synthesized in the liver where it binds vitamin A, retinol, and transports it to tissues throughout the body. It has been shown in some studies that the level of circulating RBP4 increases with body mass, and the protein has been implicated as a mediator in the development of insulin resistance and the metabolic disease. Adipose tissue serves as another site of RBP4 synthesis, accounting for its designation as an adipokine. In addition to its function as a transport protein, RBP4 serves as a signaling molecule which, by binding to the membrane receptor STRA6, triggers downstream activation of pro-oncogenic pathways including JAK2/STAT3/5. Taken together, available information suggests the possibility that RBP4 may be a link between obesity and cancer.
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Noy
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Matthew V
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8084-3515
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Abola
authors.forename: Nathan A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Berger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D054839:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007328:Insulin; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C101326:RBP4 protein, human; D054839:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma; C519685:STRA6 protein, human