Affiliation:
1. Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
2. NRC «Kurchatov Institute»
Abstract
Albumin is a nanoscale protein packed in a specific way into a polypeptide chain. Albumin maintains the osmotic pressure of the blood and protein reserve of the body, and provides an important transport function. We present the results of studying the structure of plasma albumin using a small-angle scattering of synchrotron radiation, one of the most effective analytical methods for analysis of the nanoscale structures. Moreover, the method provides studying the structures of liquid biological objects in a natural solution. It is shown that protein globules have the form of ellipsoids with semi axes 8, 8, and 3 nm and are formed by three domains consisting of α-spirals. The domains differ in the distance between ordered α-spirals. Albumin can be in the form of separate globules, dimers and oligomers surrounded by hydration membranes. Protein molecules in the studied plasma are arranged chaotically. The results obtained can be used to develop a method for assessing the quality of plasma based on the determination of the quantitative content of individual globules. Data on the protein structure are also valuable for the therapeutic applications of albumin.
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