English
General description
Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) has three homologous domains, each subdivided it two domain (A and B). It is a α-helical globular protein and shares structural features with human serum albumin.[1]
Application
Bovine Serum Albumin solution has been used:
as Dulbecco′s modified Eagle′s medium supplement for culturing HepG2 human liver cancer cells[2]
as a component of hepatocyte recovery medium[3]
as a component of fusion and activation buffers for in vitro reconstructed sheep embryos[4]
Biochem/physiol Actions
Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) is the major protein present in blood and has calcium binding sites and regulates metal homeostasis.[5] It is a crucial component of the cell culture medium and promotes embryonic stem cells (hESC) differentiation.[6] Due to its high solubility, low cost and purity it is widely used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.[1] BSA is used as a blocking agent used in enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for preventing non-specific binding of antigens and antibodies to the microtiter plates.[7]
Preparation Note
Initial fractionation by cold alcohol precipitation
