Albumin

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Serum albumin family
SCOP2
1ao6 / SCOPe / SUPFAM
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary
PDB1ao6​, 1bj5​, 1bke​, 1bm0​, 1e78​, 1e7a​, 1e7b​, 1e7c​, 1e7e​, 1e7f​, 1e7g​, 1e7h​, 1e7i​, 1gni​, 1gnj​, 1h9z​, 1ha2​, 1hk1​, 1hk2​, 1hk3​, 1hk4​, 1hk5​, 1j78​, 1j7e​, 1kw2​, 1kxp​, 1lot​, 1ma9​, 1n5u​, 1o9x​, 1tf0​, 1uor​, 1ysx​, 2bx8​, 2bxa​, 2bxb​, 2bxc​, 2bxd​, 2bxe​, 2bxf​, 2bxg​, 2bxh​, 2bxi​, 2bxk​, 2bxl​, 2bxm​, 2bxn​, 2bxo​, 2bxp​, 2bxq​, 2i2z​, 2i30​, 2vdb​, 2vue​, 2vuf​, 3b9l​, 3b9m

Albumin is a

blood proteins in that they are not glycosylated
. Substances containing albumins are called albuminoids.

A number of blood transport proteins are evolutionarily related in the albumin family, including serum albumin,

Albumins in a less strict sense can mean other proteins that

coagulate under certain conditions. See § Other albumin types for lactalbumin, ovalbumin
and plant "2S albumin".

Function

Albumins in general are transport proteins that bind to various ligands and carry them around.[6] Human types include:

The four canonical human albumins are arranged on chromosome 4 region 4q13.3 in a tandem manner.[10]

Classification

Albumins found in animals can be divided into six subfamilies by

phylogeny. The Vitamin-D binding proteins occupy families 1–3. The other albumins are mixed among each other in families 4–6. ECM1 is in family 6.[6]

In addition to their medical use, serum albumins are valued in biotechnology. Bovine serum albumin is usually used, although versions from humans and genetically-modified rice are also used to reduce animal cruelty.

Other albumin types

A few other proteins are also sometimes called albumins. They are not in the same family as vertebrate albumins:

Structure

The 3D structure of human serum albumin has been determined by X-ray crystallography to a resolution of 2.5 ångströms (250 pm).

kDa
protein.

Albumin comprises three homologous domains that assemble to form a heart-shaped protein.[2] Each domain is a product of two subdomains that possess common structural motifs.[2] The principal regions of ligand binding to human serum albumin are located in hydrophobic cavities in subdomains IIA and IIIA, which exhibit similar chemistry. Structurally, the serum albumins are similar, each domain containing five or six internal disulfide bonds.

Forensic uses

Worldwide, certain traditional Chinese medicines contain wild bear bile, banned under CITES legislation. Dip sticks, similar to common pregnancy tests, have been developed to detect the presence of bear albumin in traditional medicine products, indicating that bear bile had been used in their creation.[12]

Terminology

Albumin is pronounced /ˈælbjʊmɪn/; formed from Latin: albumen[13] "(egg) white; dried egg white".

See also

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Pfam and InterPro: IPR014760

External links