Fatty acid-binding protein in liver and small intestine of the preruminant calf.

Cytosol obtained from differential centrifugation of homogenates from liver and small intestine mucosa was incubated with 1-[14C] oleic acid or 1-[14C] palmitic acid and filtered through Sephadex G-75. Elution profiles for both tissues showed radioactivity in two main peaks, the first corresponding to binding of fatty acid to high molecular weight proteins and the second to a protein fraction with a molecular weight of approximately 12,000 daltons. The low molecular weight fraction had high fatty acid-binding activity, which was greater for oleic than palmitic acid. The findings demonstrate the presence of fatty acid-binding protein in liver and intestinal mucosa of the preruminant calf.