Cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2 (CRABP2) inhibits tumor growth by two distinct mechanisms

CRABP2 potently suppresses carcinoma cell growth, yet the mechanism(s) that underlie this activity remain incompletely understood. Two distinct functions are known for CRABP2: 1) the classical function of this protein is to directly deliver retinoic acid (RA) to the nuclear retinoic-acid receptorthereby activate gene expression, and 2) in the absence of RA, CRABP2 directly binds to the RNA-binding and stabilizing protein, HuR, and markedly strengthens its interactions with target mRNAs.

12

Vreeland AC, Levi L, Zhang W, Berry DC, Noy N