Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 24, 2026

Quantification of Endothelial Fatty Acid Uptake using Fluorescent Fatty Acid Analogs
06:03

Quantification of Endothelial Fatty Acid Uptake using Fluorescent Fatty Acid Analogs

Published on: August 15, 2025

1.2K

Fatty acid transport protein 1 can compensate for fatty acid transport protein 4 in the developing mouse epidermis

Meei-Hua Lin1, Jeffrey H Miner2

  • 1Renal Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology
|September 4, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Fatty acid transport protein 1 (FATP1) can compensate for the loss of FATP4 in a mouse model of ichthyosis prematurity syndrome (IPS). This finding suggests FATP1 may offer a therapeutic strategy for improving skin barrier function in IPS patients.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Dermatology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Fatty acid transport protein (FATP) 4 is crucial for skin barrier function, and its deficiency causes ichthyosis prematurity syndrome (IPS) in mice and humans.
  • Mutations in SLC27A4, the gene encoding FATP4, lead to severe skin defects and neonatal lethality in IPS patients.
  • Previous studies demonstrated that restoring FATP4 expression in keratinocytes can rescue the lethal phenotype in a mouse model.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether FATP1, a close homolog of FATP4, can functionally compensate for the absence of FATP4 in a mouse model of IPS.
  • To explore the potential of FATP1 as a therapeutic target for treating skin abnormalities in IPS.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of transgenic mice expressing FATP1 in suprabasal keratinocytes.
  • Phenotypic analysis of Fatp4 mutant mice with FATP1 expression.
  • Immunofluorescence microscopy to determine the subcellular localization of FATP1 and FATP4.

Main Results:

  • Transgenic expression of FATP1 in suprabasal keratinocytes rescued the lethal phenotype and ameliorated the skin barrier defects in Fatp4 mutant mice.
  • FATP1 was found to be localized in the same intracellular organelles as endogenous FATP4.
  • These findings indicate functional overlap between FATP1 and FATP4.

Conclusions:

  • FATP1 can functionally substitute for FATP4 in maintaining skin barrier integrity.
  • FATP1 and FATP4 share overlapping substrate specificities, enzymatic activities, and biological functions.
  • Increasing FATP1 expression in suprabasal keratinocytes presents a potential therapeutic strategy for IPS patients, possibly preventing atopic manifestations.

More Related Videos

Using Caco-2 Cells to Study Lipid Transport by the Intestine07:00

Using Caco-2 Cells to Study Lipid Transport by the Intestine

Published on: August 20, 2015

18.9K
Determination of Fatty Acid Oxidation and Lipogenesis in Mouse Primary Hepatocytes12:11

Determination of Fatty Acid Oxidation and Lipogenesis in Mouse Primary Hepatocytes

Published on: August 27, 2015

18.9K

Related Concept Videos

Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters01:19

Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters

Enzymes like flippase, floppase, and scramblase transfer phospholipids from one layer to another in the membrane, thereby affecting membrane asymmetry.
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...
5.9K
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism01:28

Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism

Lipids also are sources of energy that power cellular processes. Like carbohydrates, lipids are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, but these atoms are arranged differently. Most lipids are nonpolar and hydrophobic. Major types include fats and oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids.
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
25.3K
Lipids as Anchors01:32

Lipids as Anchors

In the plasma membrane, the lipids forming the bilayer can also act as an anchor to tether proteins to the membrane. The three main types of lipid anchors found in eukaryotes are – prenyl groups, fatty acyl groups, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol or GPI groups. Prenyl and fatty acyl groups act as anchors on the cytosolic surface of the membrane, whereas GPI anchors proteins on the extracellular side.
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains...
6.0K
Carrier-Mediated Transport01:06

Carrier-Mediated Transport

Carrier-mediated transport is a pivotal process in drug absorption, particularly for lipid-insoluble drugs, and encompasses facilitated diffusion and active transport. Facilitated diffusion allows drugs to move along their concentration gradient without energy expenditure, while active transport utilizes ATP to drive drug movement against this gradient.
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
1.6K
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

Biological membranes show uneven distribution of different types of lipids in the inner and outer layers, resulting in transverse asymmetric membranes. The treatment of the erythrocyte membrane with the enzyme phospholipase confirmed the asymmetric nature of the lipid bilayer. The enzyme hydrolyzes lipids into fatty acids and hydrophilic groups. The phospholipase acts only on the outer layer of the membrane, while the inner layer remains intact. The phospholipase treatment resulted in 80%...
7.9K
Lipid Absorption01:24

Lipid Absorption

Dietary triglycerides from chyme in the duodenum are mixed with bile salts produced by the liver to emulsify fats. As a result, large droplets are broken down into smaller ones, increasing the surface area for enzymatic action. Once emulsified, pancreatic lipases hydrolyze the triglycerides into free fatty acids and monoglycerides.
These breakdown products bind with bile salts and lecithin to form micelles, which quickly pass between microvilli to come in close contact with the apical...
3.8K