Nomenclature of fatty acid-binding proteins

Abstract

A variety of designations is currently being used to refer to cellular fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs). Besides from the use of other general names (e.g. Z protein), confusion mostly arises from the application of various abbreviations and symbols to denote the tissue(s) of origin and cellular localization (cytoplasm, plasma membrane) of a specific FABP. In order to minimize confusion a more unified and rational nomenclature is proposed, which is based on application of the formula X-FABPY. The prefix X is a capital letter indicating the tissue of greatest abundance, the suffix Y similarly denotes the (sub)cellular localization of the protein. The general and functional name 'fatty acid-binding protein' (FABP) is preferred for the cellular proteins with the property to bind fatty acids, unless future research reveals that the binding of fatty acids is not the primary biological property or physiological role of (some of) these proteins.