A3803

Bovine Serum Albumin

heat shock fraction, lyophilized powder, essentially fatty acid free, ≥98% (agarose gel electrophoresis)

• Synonym(s): Albumin bovine serum, BSA, Bovine albumin
• CAS Number: 9048-46-8
• EC Number: 232-936-2
• MDL number: MFCD00130384
• UNSPSC Code: 12352202

Properties

• biological source: bovine
• Quality Level: 200
• Assay: ≥98% (agarose gel electrophoresis)
• form: lyophilized powder
• mol wt: ~66 kDa
• purified by: heat shock fractionation
• packaging: poly bottle of
• origin: USA origin
• technique(s): cell culture | mammalian: suitable
• impurities: ≤0.005% Fatty acids
• loss: ≤5.0%, Loss on drying
• pH: 7
• solubility: water: soluble (40 mg/ml)
• suitability: suitable for ELISA applications (as diluent)
• UniProt accession no.: P02769
• foreign activity: BT Virus, none detected; VSV Virus, none detected
• storage temp.: 2-8°C
• Gene Information: bovine ... ALB(280717)

Description

General description

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is a 66.4 kDa, water-soluble protein composed of 583 amino acids. It has a single polypeptide chain with three homologous domains formed by six α-helices. Depending on pH, it undergoes reversible conformational isomerization. The native structure of the protein becomes reactive and flexible on heating. BSA has been used as a model protein in various applications, including immunodiagnostic procedures, cell culture media and clinical chemistry. Serum albumins facilitates drug disposition and efficacy by maintaining osmotic blood pressure.

Application

Bovine Serum Albumin has been used:

• to prevent nonspecific adsorption of fibrin matrices to tissue culture plates
• as a constituent in the preparation of albumin droplets
• as a supplement in L-15 medium to increase spermatogonia number without enhancing the growth of somatic cells
• as a standard protein to evaluate metal oxide adsorption isotherms

Among its many applications, BSA is a fatty acid (FA) carrier. Thus when BSA is used in applications like cell culture, it is important to exercise control over particular FA′s for cell culture, because specific fatty acids can affect different cell lines in a variable manner. In order to control fatty acid content in cell culture, fatty acid-free BSA is useful, for researchers to be able fatty acids specific to their cell lines. Fatty acid-free BSA also allows for optimal and maximum binding sites for the specific FA′s to use in cell culture. The use of FA-free BSA also addresses concerns about endogenous fatty acids that might be potentially present in non-FA-free BSA.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Certain conformational and primary-sequence epitopes of BSA are suspected allergens in human beef and milk allergies.

Features and Benefits

• Heat shock fractionated
• Essentially fatty acid-free

Preparation Note

Prepared using heat shock fractionation. Further purified to reduce fatty acid content.

Serum albumin may be referred to as Fraction V. This naming convention is taken from the original Cohn method of fractionating serum proteins using cold ethanol precipitation. Serum albumin was found in the fifth ethanol fraction using Cohn′s method. Since then, the term "Fraction V" has been used by some to describe serum albumin regardless of the method of preparation. Others have used this term to describe serum albumin purified by ethanol fractionation methods that have been highly modified since the original Cohn method was described. Sigma-Aldrich manufactures and distributes serum albumins purified from a variety of primary methods including the true Cohn fractionation method, modified ethanol fractionation methods, heat shock and chromatography. Additional purification steps may include crystallization or charcoal filtration.

Safety Information

• Storage Class Code: 11 - Combustible Solids
• WGK: WGK 3
• Flash Point(F): Not applicable
• Flash Point(C): Not applicable
• Personal Protective Equipment: dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves