Calcium ion binding to clinically relevant chemical modifications of human serum albumin

Calcium binding to glycated, penicilloylated, acetylated, and normal defatted human serum albumin as well as to mercapt- and nonmercaptalbumin was studied by equilibrium dialysis of radioactive Ca2+. Binding was quantified by five Scatchard constants [ni = 1, (i = 1-4) and n5 = 10]. Glycation resulted in increased k1- and k2-values and unchanged k3-k5-values, whereas penicilloylation increased all five association constants. The increments were greater the more pronounced the modification, and the enhancements caused by penicilloylation were, for the same degree of modification, greater than those produced by glycation. In contrast, acetylation by acetylsalicylate did not affect calcium binding. Likewise, binding to mercapt- and nonmercaptalbumin was the same, a finding showing that the thiol group of cysteine 34 is not important for calcium binding. D-Glucose and penicillin G are known to react with lysine residues of albumin, and the enhancement of binding resulting from glycation or penicilloylation is probably brought about by unspecific electrostatic effects, possibly supplemented by conformational changes of the protein molecule. The relative importance of the three domains of human serum albumin for calcium binding is discussed.