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25 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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FABP4
fatty acid binding protein 4
Chromosome 8 · 8q21.13
NCBI Gene: 2167Ensembl: ENSG00000170323.10HGNC: HGNC:3559UniProt: E7DVW4
327PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transporter
RESEARCH IMPACT
Trending
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
extracellular exosomenucleusfatty acid bindinglong-chain fatty acid bindingtype 2 diabetes mellitusneoplasmgestational diabetescolorectal carcinoma
✦AI Summary

FABP4 (fatty acid binding protein 4) is a lipid transport protein that serves as an intracellular chaperone for fatty acids and other hydrophobic ligands 1. The protein facilitates lipid metabolism by mediating fatty acid uptake and regulating mitochondrial stability and CPT1-mediated fatty acid oxidation processes 2. Beyond its intracellular functions, FABP4 undergoes regulated vesicular secretion and acts as a circulating hormone with crucial roles in systemic metabolism 3. FABP4 is highly expressed in various pathological conditions, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis where FABP4-expressing macrophages contribute to disease progression 4. In cancer, FABP4 promotes metastasis by enabling cancer cells to adapt to lipid-rich tumor microenvironments, particularly in ovarian cancer where it facilitates omental metastasis and mediates carboplatin resistance 56. The protein also drives triple-negative breast cancer progression and breast cancer stem cell activity through lipid metabolism regulation 2. FABP4 serves as a reliable aging biomarker, with elevated levels associated with metabolic disorders in elderly populations 7. Therapeutic targeting of FABP4 through small molecule inhibitors like BMS309403 shows promise for treating metabolic diseases, cancer metastasis, bone resorption in postmenopausal osteoporosis, and age-related metabolic dysfunction 857.

Sources cited
1
FABP4 serves as intracellular chaperone for fatty acids and hydrophobic ligands
PMID: 32822569
2
FABP4 mediates fatty acid uptake and regulates mitochondrial stability and CPT1-mediated fatty acid oxidation
PMID: 39306229
3
FABP4 undergoes regulated vesicular secretion and has systemic metabolic functions as circulating hormone
PMID: 26260145
4
FABP4-expressing macrophages contribute to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis progression
PMID: 31221805
5
FABP4 promotes ovarian cancer metastasis and mediates carboplatin resistance
PMID: 32054768
6
FABP4 facilitates ovarian cancer omental metastasis
PMID: 22037646
7
FABP4 drives triple-negative breast cancer progression and breast cancer stem cell activity
PMID: 39306229
8
FABP4 serves as aging biomarker and is associated with metabolic disorders in elderly
PMID: 36842611
9
FABP4 inhibitor BMS309403 shows therapeutic promise for postmenopausal osteoporosis
PMID: 40360512
Disease Associationsⓘ20
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.12Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
gestational diabetesOpen Targets
0.12Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.11Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
coronary artery diseaseOpen Targets
0.11Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseOpen Targets
0.11Weak
acute kidney injuryOpen Targets
0.11Weak
obesityOpen Targets
0.11Weak
type 1 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.11Weak
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Weak
non-alcoholic steatohepatitisOpen Targets
0.10Weak
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.10Weak
cardiovascular diseaseOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
Pallister-Hall syndromeOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
CIDEAProtein interaction100%PLIN1Protein interaction100%CEBPAProtein interaction91%PNPLA2Protein interaction91%CD36Protein interaction90%SCARB1Protein interaction90%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Lung
55%
Liver
4%
Ovary
4%
Bone Marrow
3%
Brain
1%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
FABP4CIDEAPLIN1CEBPAPNPLA2CD36SCARB1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB7G0Z · 0.84 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.87LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.32 [0.85–1.87]
RankingsWhere FABP4 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #1,004of 20,598
    Most Researched327 · top 5%
  • #17,032of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.87
Genes detectedFABP4
Sources retrieved25 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
25▼
1
Proliferating SPP1/MERTK-expressing macrophages in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
PMID: 31221805
Eur Respir J · 2019
1.00
2
FABP4 inhibition suppresses bone resorption and protects against postmenopausal osteoporosis in ovariectomized mice.
PMID: 40360512
Nat Commun · 2025
0.90
3
Metabolic functions of FABPs--mechanisms and therapeutic implications.
PMID: 26260145
Nat Rev Endocrinol · 2015
0.80
4
SnapShot: FABP Functions.
PMID: 32822569
Cell · 2020
0.70
5
Novel FABP4
PMID: 39353883
Cell Death Dis · 2024
0.64