Fasting-induced adipose factor/angiopoietin–like protein 4: a potential target for dyslipidemia?

Abstract

Recently, several proteins with homology to angiopoietins have been discovered. Three members of this new group, designated angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTLs), have been linked to regulation of energy metabolism. This review will focus on the fasting-induced adipose factor (FIAF)/ANGPTL4 as an important modulator of plasma lipid metabolism. FIAF/ANGPTL4 is a direct target of the insulin-sensitizing thiazolidinediones and hypolipidemic fibrate drugs. The collective data suggests that FIAF/ANGPTL4 plays an important role in the systemic partitioning of fatty acids, especially under fasting conditions. FIAF/ANGPTL4 prevents the clearance of plasma triglycerides and appears to stimulate adipose tissue lipolysis, resulting in lipids being redirected from storage to the circulation. FIAF/ANGPTL4 thus represents an interesting candidate for therapeutic targeting of dyslipidemia. It can be hypothesized that alterations in FIAF/ANGPTL4 signaling might be involved in dyslipidemia. While the importance of FIAF/ANGPTL4 in lipoprotein metabolism is well established, the effects of FIAF/ANGPTL4 on glucose homeostasis currently remain ambiguous