Liver type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) gene ablation reduces nuclear ligand distribution and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α activity in cultured primary hepatocytes

The effect of liver type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) gene ablation on the uptake and distribution of long chain fatty acids (LCFA) to the nucleus by real-time laser scanning confocal imaging and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) activity was examined in cultured primary hepatocytes from livers wild-type L-FABP+/+ and gene ablated L-FABP−/− mice. Cultured primary hepatocytes from livers of L-FABP−/− mice exhibited: (i) reduced oxidation of palmitic acid, a common dietary long chain fatty acid (LCFA); (ii) reduced expression of fatty acid oxidative enzymes–proteins transcriptionally regulated by PPARα; (iii) reduced palmitic acid-induced PPARα co-immunoprecipitation with coactivator SRC-1 concomitant with increased PPARα co-immunoprecipitation with coinhibitor N-CoR; (iv) reduced palmitic acid-induced PPARα. Diminished PPARα activation in L-FABP null hepatocytes was associated with lower uptake of common dietary LCFA (palmitic acid as well as its fluorescent derivative BODIPY FL C16), reduced level of total unesterified LCFA, and real-time redistribution of BODIPY FL C16 from the central nucleoplasm to the nuclear envelope. Taken together, these studies support the hypothesis that L-FABP may facilitate ligand (LCFA)-activated PPARα transcriptional activity at least in part by increasing total LCFA ligand available to PPARα for inducing PPARα-mediated transcription of proteins involved in LCFA metabolism.