Genetic variants of human serum albumin: molecular defects and biological stability

Because of recent studies, more heritable structural variants of serum albumin are known than for any other human protein except haemoglobin. However, alloalbumins are benign and thus they are detected only by screening of blood proteins in studies of population genetics or during routine clinical electrophoresis. We report the results of a collaborative study undertaken on genetic variants to define the structural changes and correlate these with the molecular properties of albumin. Our strategy consists in CNBr cleavage of the alkylated purified variants followed by isoelectric focusing (IEF) analysis to identify the fragment in which the substitution occurs. The abnormal peptide is then purified and digested with trypsin or V8 protease. A map of the digests is obtained by Rp-HPLC, the variant peptide is purified, and its amino-acid composition and sequence are determined. This procedure has so far allowed the identification of the molecular defects in 20 among the 26 alloalbumins detected in Italy. In the present study the mutations of the characterized variants are correlated with their frequency, geographic distribution, and biological stability. Point mutations, with only a few exceptions which are discussed, do not affect the stability of the protein. Alterations at the N-terminal, as in the case of proalbumins or Arg-Albumin, and extensive modifications at the C-terminal of the molecule, as well as changes involving the disulfide bridges, reduce the amount of the circulating protein.