HGNC Approved Gene Symbol: FABP12
Cytogenetic location: 8q21.13 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38): 8:81,524,981-81,590,139 (from NCBI)
FABP12 belongs to the fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) family (Liu et al., 2008).
Liu et al. (2008) cloned FABP12 from rat and mouse retina and human retinoblastoma cDNA libraries. Rat and mouse Fabp12 contain 132 amino acids, whereas human FABP12 contains 140 amino acids, with the 8 extra amino acids located at the C terminus. The predicted molecular masses of rat, mouse, and human FABP12 are 14.9, 14.8, and 15.6 kD, respectively. Human FABP12 shares about 80% amino acid identity with rat and mouse Fabp12, which are 92% identical to each other. Among other FABP proteins, FABP12 shares highest identity with FABP8, followed by FABP9. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that Fabp12 was abundantly expressed in adult rat and mouse retina and testis, with lower levels in adult rat cerebral cortex, kidney, and epididymis. In situ hybridization analysis revealed Fabp12 transcripts in ganglion, amacrine, and bipolar cells of adult rat retina. In adult rat testis, Fabp12 transcripts were detected in spermatids at specific stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle. FABP12 orthologs are present in mammals, but not in zebrafish or chicken. The authors proposed that FABP12 appeared in mammals due to a relatively recent tandem gene duplication.
Liu et al. (2008) determined that the FABP12 gene has 4 coding exons.
By genomic sequence analysis, Liu et al. (2008) mapped the FABP12 gene to a 300-kb region on chromosome 8q21 that also contains the FABP4 (600434), FABP5 (605168), FABP8, and FABP9 genes. This FABP gene cluster is conserved on mouse chromosome 3 and rat chromosome 2.
Liu, R.-Z., Li, X., Godbout, R. A novel fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) gene resulting from tandem gene duplication in mammals: transcription in rat retina and testis. Genomics 92: 436-445, 2008. [PubMed: 18786628] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2008.08.003]