Fatty acid binding protein 7 (FABP7), an intracellular protein with the tissue-specific expression pattern, has been reported to be implicated in diverse types of human tumors.
We provide evidence that increased production of eicosanoids in FABP7-positive malignant glioma growing in an AA-rich environment contributes to tumor infiltration in the brain.
Our data provide mechanistic insight as to why FABP7 is associated with a poor prognosis in MG and suggest that relative levels of DHA and AA in the tumor environment can make a profound impact on tumor growth properties.
Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an intermediate filament protein normally found in astrocytes, and the radial glial marker brain fatty acid-binding protein (B-FABP; also known as FABP7) are co-expressed in malignant glioma cell lines and tumors.
To investigate possible molecular mechanisms underlying this association, we compared the expression and subcellular localization of FABP7 in non-tumor brain tissues with different types of glioma, and examined the expression of FABP7 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in GBM tumors.
The predicted amino acid sequence of this tumor-suppressing factor has a significant sequence homology to mouse mammary-derived growth inhibitor and thus was named mammary-derived growth inhibitor-related gene (MRG).