Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark (FBL) is published by IMR Press from Volume 26 Issue 5 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.
Fibroblast activation protein in liver fibrosis
Send correspondence to: Mark D. Gorrell, Liver Enzymes in Metabolism and Inflammation Program, Centenary Institute, Sydney NSW 2050; The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, New South Wales, 2006, Australia, E-mail: m.gorrell@centenary.usyd.edu.au
Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) belongs to the dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4; CD26) gene family. Other related genes in this family of enzyme include DPP4, 8 and 9. The FAP serine protease has the rare property of both dipeptidyl peptidase and endopeptidase activities capable of cleaving the post-proline bond at two or more residues from the N-terminus. FAP is involved in a variety of biological processes but its expression in healthy tissues is low. In contrast, FAP is significantly elevated in pathological conditions such as at sites of tissue remodelling and repair. Its differential pattern of expression in diseases supports the emerging concept for FAP as a potential disease biomarker as well as a useful therapeutic target for drug intervention. This review summarizes the current knowledge of FAP, particularly its diagnostic and pathological significance in liver fibrosis.