The emerging role of fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) in cancers

William George Warren; Myles Osborn; Andy Yates; Karen Wright; Saoirse E O'Sullivan

doi:10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103628

The emerging role of fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) in cancers

Drug Discov Today. 2023 Jul;28(7):103628. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103628. Epub 2023 May 23.

Authors

William George Warren¹, Myles Osborn¹, Andy Yates¹, Karen Wright², Saoirse E O'Sullivan³

Affiliations

¹ Artelo Biosciences, Solana Beach, CA, USA.
² Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
³ Artelo Biosciences, Solana Beach, CA, USA. Electronic address: sosullivan@artelobio.com.

PMID: 37230284
DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103628

Abstract

Fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5, or epidermal FABP) is an intracellular chaperone of fatty acid molecules that regulates lipid metabolism and cell growth. In patient-derived tumours, FABP5 expression is increased up to tenfold, often co-expressed with other cancer-related proteins. High tumoral FABP5 expression is associated with poor prognosis. FABP5 activates transcription factors (TFs) leading to increased expression of proteins involved in tumorigenesis. Genetic and pharmacological preclinical studies show that inhibiting FABP5 reduces protumoral markers, whereas elevation of FABP5 promotes tumour growth and spread. Thus, FABP5 might be a valid target for novel therapeutics. The evidence base is currently strongest for liver, prostate, breast, and brain cancers, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which could represent relevant patient populations for any drug discovery programme.

Keywords: FABP; cancer; fatty acid; lipid, fatty acid binding protein; tumour.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cell Proliferation
Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / genetics
Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / metabolism
Fatty Acids / metabolism
Humans
Liver / metabolism
Male
Neoplasms* / drug therapy
Neoplasms* / genetics

Substances

Fatty Acids
Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins
FABP5 protein, human