Localization of the amino acid substitution site in a fast migrating variant of human serum albumin

Abstract Albumin Mi/Fg is an Italian genetic variant of human serum albumin arising from a Lys → Glu substitution which has been located in a CNBr fragment (CNBr VII) corresponding to the -COOH terminal portion of the molecule [(1984) J. Chromatogr. 298, 336-344]. Tryptic peptides of CNBr VII from normal and Mi/Fg albumin have been purified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and submitted to comparative structural studies. The amino acid sequence of the tryptic peptide of Mi/Fg variant that differs from the corresponding fragment of the normal serum albumin shows that the Lys → Glu substitution responsible for this variant is located at postion 573. This region of the albumin molecule is involved in the binding of long chain fatty acids.