Albumin - Wikipedia Albumin This article is about the class of proteins. For the substance sometimes called albumen, see egg white. For the specific albumins found in vertebrate bloodstreams, see serum albumin. For other uses, see Albumin ( disambiguation ). hide This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia 's quality standards. The specific problem is : Improved diagram in structure section needed. Please help improve this article if you can. ( November 2016 ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2009 ) Serum albumin family Structure of serum albumin. Identifiers Symbol Serum_albumin Pfam PF00273 Pfam clan CL0282 InterPro IPR014760 SMART SM00103 PROSITE PS51438 SCOP 1ao6 SUPERFAMILY 1ao6 show Available protein structures : Pfam structures PDB RCSB PDB ; PDBe ; PDBj PDBsum structure summary The albumins ( / ˈælbjʊmɪn / ) ( formed from Latin : albumen `` ( egg ) white ; dried egg white '' ) are a family of globular proteins, the most common of which are the serum albumins. All the proteins of the albumin family are water - soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation. Albumins are commonly found in blood plasma and differ from other blood proteins in that they are not glycosylated. Substances containing albumins, such as egg white, are called albuminoids. A number of blood transport proteins are evolutionarily related, including serum albumin, alpha - fetoprotein, vitamin D - binding protein and afamin. Albumin binds to the cell surface receptor albondin. Contents 1 Function 2 Structure 3 Serum albumin 3.1 Serum albumin levels 3.2 Other albumin types 4 Medical uses 5 Forensic uses 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Function Serum albumin is the main protein of human blood plasma. It binds water, cations ( such as Ca, Na and K ), fatty acids, hormones, bilirubin, thyroxine ( T4 ) and pharmaceuticals ( including barbiturates ) : its main function is to regulate the Oncotic pressure of blood. Alpha - fetoprotein ( alpha - fetoglobulin ) is a fetal plasma protein that binds various cations, fatty acids and bilirubin. Vitamin D - binding protein binds to vitamin D and its metabolites, as well as to fatty acids. The isoelectric point of albumin is 4.9. Structure The 3D structure of human serum albumin has been determined by X-ray crystallography to a resolution of 2.5 ångströms ( 250 pm ). Albumin is a 65 -- 70 kDa protein. Albumin comprises three homologous domains that assemble to form a heart - shaped protein. Each domain is a product of two subdomains that possess common structural motifs. 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, as shown schematically below : + -- - + + -- -- + + -- -- - + xxCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCCxxCxxxxCxxxxxCCxxxCxxxxxxxxxCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCCxxxxCxxxx + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - + + -- -- -- + + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - + C = cysteine, x = any amino acid Serum albumin Main article : Serum albumin Serum albumin is the most abundant blood plasma protein and is produced in the liver and forms a large proportion of all plasma protein. The human version is human serum albumin, and it normally constitutes about 50 % of human plasma protein. Serum albumins are important in regulating blood volume by maintaining the oncotic pressure ( also known as colloid osmotic pressure ) of the blood compartment. They also serve as carriers for molecules of low water solubility this way isolating their hydrophobic nature, including lipid - soluble hormones, bile salts, unconjugated bilirubin, free fatty acids ( apoprotein ), calcium, ions ( transferrin ), and some drugs like warfarin, phenobutazone, clofibrate & phenytoin. For this reason, it is sometimes referred as a molecular `` taxi ''. Competition between drugs for albumin binding sites may cause drug interaction by increasing the free fraction of one of the drugs, thereby affecting potency. Specific types include : human serum albumin bovine serum albumin ( cattle serum albumin ) or BSA, often used in medical and molecular biology labs. Serum albumin levels The normal range of human serum albumin in adults ( > 3 y.o. ) is 3.5 to 5 g / dL. For children less than three years of age, the normal range is broader, 2.9 -- 5.5 g / dL. Low albumin ( hypoalbuminemia ) may be caused by liver disease, nephrotic syndrome, burns, protein - losing enteropathy, malabsorption, malnutrition, late pregnancy, artefact, genetic variations and malignancy. High albumin ( hyperalbuminemia ) is almost always caused by dehydration. In some cases of retinol ( Vitamin A ) deficiency, the albumin level can be elevated to high - normal values ( e.g., 4.9 g / dL ). This is because retinol causes cells to swell with water ( this is also the reason too much Vitamin A is toxic ). This swelling also likely occurs during treatment with 13 - cis retinoic acid ( isotretnoin ), a pharmaceutical for treating severe acne, amongst other conditions. In lab experiments it has been shown that all - trans retinoic acid down regulates human albumin production. Other albumin types Other albumin types include the storage protein ovalbumin in egg white, and different storage albumins in the seeds of some plants, including hemp. Note that the protein `` albumin '' is spelled with an `` i '', while `` albumen '' with an `` e '', is the white of an egg, which contains ( among other things ) several dozen types of albumin ( with an `` i '' ), mostly ovalbumin. Medical uses For patients with low blood volume, there is no evidence that albumin reduces mortality when compared with cheaper alternatives such as normal saline, or that albumin reduces mortality in patients with burns and low albumin levels. Therefore, the Cochrane Collaboration recommends that it not be used, except in clinical trials. In acoustic droplet vaporization ( ADV ), albumin is sometimes used as a surfactant. ADV has been proposed as a cancer treatment by means of occlusion therapy. Human serum albumin may be used to potentially reverse drug / chemical toxicity by binding to free drug / agent. ( Tatlow, D, Poothencheri, S, Bhangal, R and Tatlow C. Novel method for rapid reversal of drug toxicity : A case report. doi 10.1111 / 1440 - 1681.12358 ). Ascentzi, P, Leboffe, L, Toti, D, Polticelli, F, and Trezza, V. Fipronil recognition by the FA1 site of human serum albumin. doi 10.1002 / jmr. 2713. 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. See also Cohn process ( human serum albumin purification method ) Serum albumin Bovine serum albumin Human serum albumin References This article incorporates text from the public domain Pfam and InterPro IPR014760 Jump up ^ Sugio, S. ; Kashima, A. ; Mochizuki, S. ; Noda, M. ; Kobayashi, K. ( 1 June 1999 ). `` Crystal structure of human serum albumin at 2.5 A resolution ''. Protein Engineering Design and Selection. 12 ( 6 ) : 439 -- 446. doi : 10.1093 / protein / 12.6. 439. PMID 10388840. ^ Jump up to : He, Xiao Min ; Carter, Daniel C. ( 16 July 1992 ). `` Atomic structure and chemistry of human serum albumin ''. Nature. 358 ( 6383 ) : 209 -- 215. doi : 10.1038 / 358209a0. PMID 1630489. Jump up ^ Pliny The Elder. Historia Naturalis 28, 6, 18. Jump up ^ Haefliger, Denise Nardelli ; Moskaitis, John E. ; Schoenberg, Daniel R. ; Wahli, Walter ( October 1989 ). `` Amphibian albumins as members of the albumin, alpha - fetoprotein, vitamin D - binding protein multigene family ''. Journal of Molecular Evolution. 29 ( 4 ) : 344 -- 354. doi : 10.1007 / BF02103621. PMID 2481749. Jump up ^ Schoentgen, Francçoise ; Metz - Boutique, Marie - Hélène ; Jollès, Jacqueline ; Constans, Jacques ; Jollès, Pierre ( June 1986 ). `` Complete amino acid sequence of human vitamin D - binding protein ( group - specific component ) : evidence of a three-fold internal homology as in serum albumin and α - fetoprotein ''. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta ( BBA ) - Protein Structure and Molecular Enzymology. 871 ( 2 ) : 189 -- 198. doi : 10.1016 / 0167 - 4838 ( 86 ) 90173 - 1. PMID 2423133. Jump up ^ Lichenstein, HS ; Lyons, DE ; Wurfel, MM ; Johnson, DA ; McGinley, MD ; Leidli, JC ; Trollinger, DB ; Mayer, JP ; Wright, SD ; Zukowski, MM ( 8 July 1994 ). `` Afamin is a new member of the albumin, alpha - fetoprotein, and vitamin D - binding protein gene family ''. The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 269 ( 27 ) : 18149 -- 54. PMID 7517938. ^ Jump up to : Farrugia, Albert ( January 2010 ). `` Albumin Usage in Clinical Medicine : Tradition or Therapeutic ? ''. Transfusion Medicine Reviews. 24 ( 1 ) : 53 -- 63. doi : 10.1016 / j. tmrv. 2009.09. 005. PMID 19962575. Jump up ^ Sugio, S. ; Kashima, A. ; Mochizuki, S. ; Noda, M. ; Kobayashi, K. ( 1 June 1999 ). `` Crystal structure of human serum albumin at 2.5 A resolution ''. Protein Engineering Design and Selection. 12 ( 6 ) : 439 -- 446. doi : 10.1093 / protein / 12.6. 439. PMID 10388840. Jump up ^ `` '' Normal Ranges for Common Laboratory Tests. `` ''. Archived from the original on 2013 - 01 - 14. Retrieved 2007 - 12 - 06. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Rush University Jump up ^ Pasantes - Morales, H ; Wright, CE ; Gaull, GE ( December 1984 ). `` Protective effect of taurine, zinc and tocopherol on retinol - induced damage in human lymphoblastoid cells ''. The Journal of Nutrition. 114 ( 12 ) : 2256 -- 61. PMID 6502269. Jump up ^ Masaki, T ; Matsuura, T ; Ohkawa, K ; Miyamura, T ; Okazaki, I ; Watanabe, T ; Suzuki, T ( 15 July 2006 ). `` All - trans retinoic acid down - regulates human albumin gene expression through the induction of C / EBPbeta - LIP ''. The Biochemical Journal. 397 ( 2 ) : 345 -- 53. doi : 10.1042 / BJ20051863. PMC 1513275. PMID 16608438. Jump up ^ `` Hemp Repairs Damaged DNA ''. High Times. 28 Aug 2014. Retrieved 10 Sep 2014. Jump up ^ Roberts I, Blackhall K, Alderson P, Bunn F, Schierhout G ( 9 November 2011 ). `` Human albumin solution for resuscitation and volume expansion in critically ill patients ''. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews ( 11 ) : CD001208. doi : 10.1002 / 14651858. CD001208. pub4. PMID 22071799. Jump up ^ Lo, Andrea ; Kripfgans, Oliver ; Carson, Paul ; Rothman, Edward ; Fowlkes, J. ( May 2007 ). `` Acoustic droplet vaporization threshold : effects of pulse duration and contrast agent ''. IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control. 54 ( 5 ) : 933 -- 946. doi : 10.1109 / tuffc. 2007.339. Jump up ^ Peppin, McEwing, Webster, Rogers, Nicholls, Ogden 2008 ' Development of a field test for the detection of illegal bear products ' Endangered Forensics Research ( 9 ) http://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2009/9/n009p263.pdf External links Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Albumin. Albumins at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings ( MeSH ) The Albumin website Albumin binding prediction Proteins Processes Protein biosynthesis Post-translational modification Protein folding Protein targeting Proteome Protein methods Structures Protein structure Protein structural domains Proteasome Types List of types of proteins List of proteins Membrane protein Globular protein Globulin Edestin Albumin Fibrous protein Proteins : key methods of study Experimental Protein purification Green fluorescent protein Western blot Protein immunostaining Protein sequencing Gel electrophoresis / Protein electrophoresis Protein immunoprecipitation Peptide mass fingerprinting / Protein mass spectrometry Dual - polarization interferometry Microscale thermophoresis Chromatin immunoprecipitation Surface plasmon resonance Isothermal titration calorimetry X-ray crystallography Protein NMR Cryo - electron microscopy Freeze - fracture electron microscopy Bioinformatics Protein structure prediction Protein -- protein docking Protein structural alignment Protein ontology Protein -- protein interaction prediction Assay Enzyme assay Protein assay Secretion assay Display techniques Bacterial display mRNA display Phage display Ribosome display Yeast display Super-resolution microscopy Photoactivated localization microscopy Vertico SMI Proteins : Globular proteins Serum globulins Alpha globulins serpins : alpha - 1 ( Alpha 1 - antichymotrypsin, Alpha 1 - antitrypsin ) alpha - 2 ( Alpha 2 - antiplasmin ) Antithrombin ( Heparin cofactor II ) carrier proteins : alpha - 1 ( Transcortin ) alpha - 2 ( Ceruloplasmin ) Retinol binding protein other : alpha - 1 ( Orosomucoid ) alpha - 2 ( alpha - 2 - Macroglobulin, Haptoglobin ) Beta globulins carrier proteins : Sex hormone - binding globulin Transferrin other : Angiostatin Hemopexin Beta - 2 microglobulin Factor H Plasminogen Properdin Gamma globulin Immunoglobulins Other Fibronectin ( fFN : Fetal fibronectin ) Macroglobulin / Microglobulin Transcobalamin Edestin Other globulins Beta - lactoglobulin Lactoferrin Thyroglobulin Alpha - lactalbumin 11S globulin family ( seeds ) 7S globulin family ( seeds ) Albumins Egg white Conalbumin Ovalbumin Avidin Serum albumin Human serum albumin Bovine serum albumin Prealbumin Other C - reactive protein Lactalbumin ( Alpha - lactalbumin ) Parvalbumin Ricin see also disorders of globin and globulin proteins NDL : 00575687 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Albumin&oldid=840428227 '' Categories : Blood proteins Seed storage proteins Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Articles needing cleanup from November 2016 All pages needing cleanup Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from November 2016 Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from November 2016 Articles needing additional references from March 2009 All articles needing additional references Articles with multiple maintenance issues Wikipedia articles in need of updating from December 2016 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating Wikipedia articles with NDL identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Alemannisch Azərbaycanca Беларуская Български Bosanski Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 हिन्दी Ido Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Basa Jawa Қазақша Кыргызча Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Oromoo Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Plattdüütsch Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Basa Sunda Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் తెలుగు Тоҷикӣ Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 53 more Edit links This page was last edited on 9 May 2018, at 20 : 41 ( UTC ). 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Question: what is the function of albumin in blood
Answer: the main protein of human blood plasma