Purification and characterization of fatty acid binding protein in mammalian lung.

A fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) has been isolated and characterized from rat lung tissue. Rat lung FABP has a slightly higher molecular weight than liver FABP, but immunologically, lung FABP is similar to that of liver FABP. Long chain acyl CoA synthetase, a key enzyme in fatty acid metabolism is stimulated by partially purified lung FABP, suggesting a physiologic role of the protein in the activation of long chain fatty acids in pulmonary tissue.