Isoforms of rat liver fatty acid binding protein differ in structure and affinity for fatty acids and fatty acyl CoAs.

Although native rat liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) is composed of isoforms differing in isoelectric point, their comparative structure and function are unknown. These properties of apo- and holo-L-FABP isoforms were resolved by circular dichroism, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, and binding/displacement of fluorescent ligands. Both apo-isoforms had similar hydrodynamic radii of 18.5 A, but apo-isoform I had a greater alpha-helical content and exhibited a longer Tyr lifetime, indicative of secondary and tertiary structural differences from isoform II. Isoforms I and II both had two fatty acid or fatty acyl CoA binding sites. Ligand binding decreased the isoform hydrodynamic radii by 3-4 A and increased Tyr rotational motions in a more restricted range. Fatty acyl CoAs were more effective than fatty acids in altering the isoform structures. Scatchard analysis showed that both isoforms bound cis- parinaric acid with high affinity (Kd values 41 and 60 nM, respectively) and bound trans-parinaric acid with 2- and 7-fold, respectively, higher affinity than for cis-parinaric acid. In contrast, isoform I had higher affinity for cis- and trans-parinaroyl CoAs (Kd values of 33 and 14 nM) than did isoform II (Kd values of 110 and 97 nM), thereby resulting in biphasic plots of parinaroyl-CoA binding to native L-FABP. Finally, displacement studies indicated that each isoform displayed distinct specificities for fatty acid/fatty acyl CoA chain length and unsaturation. Thus, rat L-FABP isoforms differ markedly in both structure and ligand binding function.