Cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 2 is a cytoplasmic binding protein that in humans is encoded by the CRABP2 gene. CRABP2 is structurally similar to CRABP1, but CRABP2 has a lower affinity for retinoic acid (RA). CRABP2 is associated with cells that produce large amounts of retinoic acid and may play a role in mediating the effects of retinoic acid in the cell. A number of specific carrier proteins for members of the vitamin A family have been discovered. Retinoic acid is an active metabolite of vitamin A (retinol). Cellular retinoic acid binding proteins (CRABP) are low molecular weight proteins whose precise function remains largely unknown. The inducibility of the CRABP2 gene suggests that this isoform is important in retinoic acid-mediated regulation of human skin growth, differentiation and development. CRABP2 is involved in the metabolism and transportation of retinoic acid from the cytosol to the RARs (retinoic acid receptors) located in the nucleus. CRABP2 is specifically co-expressed with RAR-β and cellular retinol binding protein 1 genes in certain tissues. It has been postulated that the CRABP2 gene is transcriptionally regulated by a newly synthesized regulatory protein.