Fatty Acid Binding Protein 7 (FABP7) is one of nine known cytosolic FABPs ranging in size from 14-15 kDa containing 127-132 amino acids. Members of this protein family exhibit high affinity for lipophilic ligands and were named according to the tissue from which they were initially isolated. Studies suggest that FABPs are involved in the uptake and metabolism of fatty acids, in the maintenance of cellular fatty acid levels, in intracellular trafficking of these substrates, in the modulation of specific enzymes of lipid metabolic pathways, and in the modulation of cell growth and differentiation. FABP family members have highly conserved three dimensional structures and 22-73% amino acid sequence similarity. FABP7 is composed of ten antiparallel β strands that form a barrel. It is exclusively expressed in the central nervous system where its main function is possibly the binding and transport of polyunsaturated fatty acids like docosahexaenoic acid.
