Is retinol binding protein 4 a link between adiposity and cancer?
Noa NoyLi LiMatthew V AbolaNathan A BergerPublished in: Hormone molecular biology and clinical investigation (2016)
Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) is synthesized in the liver where it binds vitamin A, retinol, and transports it to tissues throughout the body. It has been shown in some studies that the level of circulating RBP4 increases with body mass, and the protein has been implicated as a mediator in the development of insulin resistance and the metabolic disease. Adipose tissue serves as another site of RBP4 synthesis, accounting for its designation as an adipokine. In addition to its function as a transport protein, RBP4 serves as a signaling molecule which, by binding to the membrane receptor STRA6, triggers downstream activation of pro-oncogenic pathways including JAK2/STAT3/5. Taken together, available information suggests the possibility that RBP4 may be a link between obesity and cancer.
Keyphrases
- binding protein
- insulin resistance
- adipose tissue
- papillary thyroid
- metabolic syndrome
- high fat diet
- type diabetes
- skeletal muscle
- squamous cell
- high fat diet induced
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- gene expression
- protein protein
- amino acid
- weight gain
- healthcare
- body mass index
- physical activity
- childhood cancer
- social media