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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Using Caco-2 Cells to Study Lipid Transport by the Intestine
Published on: August 20, 2015
Fatty acid transport proteins: a current view of a growing family
A Stahl1, R E Gimeno, L A Tartaglia
1The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142-1479, USA.
Abstract:
Long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) are a major caloric component of our diet and are key metabolites for energy generation and storage. Physiological uptake of LCFAs across cell membranes is a saturable and competable process occurring at low concentrations, indicative of protein-mediated transport. Fatty acid transport proteins are a family of transmembrane proteins that enhance LCFA uptake and are produced in all fatty acid-utilizing tissues. Here, we review our current understanding of the function, expression patterns and regulation and subcellular localization of this interesting family of proteins.
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