Direct evidence for the involvement of domain III in the N-F transition of bovine serum albumin

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The domain III of bovine serum albumin containing residues 377-582 of the protein sequence was isolated and its behaviour in acid solution was studied. The fragment was found to undergo structural transformations over the pH range 3.5-4.5 known to cause N-F transition in serum albumin. On the other hand, an albumin fragment that was devoid of domain III was unable to exhibit such a transition. These results were consistent with a mechanism where N-F transition involves the separation of domain III from the rest of the albumin molecule as well as the separation of the subdomains of domain III from each other. The structural transitions starts at about pH 4.3 and is completed at pH 3.5.