Purification And Characterization Of The Albumin From The Finless Eel, Monopterus Albus

Albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood plasma of vertebrates. The main function of the albumin is to combine and transport endogenous and exogenous substances, such as water, ions, fatty acids, hormones, metabolic products and a variety of drugs, and maintain the osmotic pressure. With a purpose of clarifying the relationship between the albumin and skin function, the present study has purified two albumins from the skin and serum of Monopterus albus for the characterization and immunological detection.A serum albumin of M. albus was purified by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography, which named MAA-serum, is a single chain protein with the molecular weight of67kDa. MAA-serum is not a glycoprotein. The N-terminal amino acid sequence is GHKKW. The purified MAA-serum was used to immunize rabbits to prepare polyclonal antibody with the dosage of0.5mg per rabbit. After being immunized for three times, the rabbits were anesthetized with ether, and then the blood was collected by a cardiac puncture, and precipitate with saturated ammonium sulfate to obtain polyclonal antibody. ELISA data demonstrated that the antibody titer of the serum was up to1:100,000.A protein with the molecular weight of67kDa was purified from the skin of M. Albus by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. The protein is a single chain protein, but not a glycoprotein. The N-terminal amino acid sequence is GHVKW. ELISA data demonstrated that the antibody titer of the MAA-skin was up to1:100,000. The antibody provided a useful experimental tool to profoundly study the tissue expression profile and biological function of MAA-skin.