Fatty acid binging proteins(FABP) are distinct but related gene productes which are found in many mamalian cell types. FABP bind long chain fatty acids in vitro. However, their functions and mechanisms of action, in vivo, remain unknown . Also not known is whether all FABP function similaryly in their respective cell types. or whether different FABP have unique functions. The puropose of the present study was to assess whether different members of the FABP family exhibit different structural and function properties. A comparison was made between heart(H-FABP) and liver (L-FABP). The results show that the binding sites of both FABP are hydrophobic in nature, although the L-FABP site is more nonpolar than the H-FABP site. Additionally, the bound ligand experiences less motional constraint within the H-FABP binding site than within the L-FABP binding site. In accordance with these differences in structural properties, it was found that anthroyloxy-fatty acid transfer from H-FABP to membranes is markedly faster than from L-FABP. moreover, the mechanism of fatty acid transfer to phospholipid membranes appears to occur via transient collisional interactions between H-FABP and membranes. In contrast , transfer of fatty acid from L-FABP occurs via an aqueous diffusion mechanism.