Presence of an Albumin-Like Protein on the Plasma Membrane of Adipocytes Isolated from Korean Cow

The main function of adipocytes in various species is to store nutrient energy in the form of triglycerides, and this function may he closely related with hormonal signaling through the plasma membrane of adipocytes. Using SDS-PAGE, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and a membrane biotinylation technique, we have identified a 55KDa protein (55K protein) from the plasma membrane fraction of adipocytes, with an isoelectric point (pI) of 8.1-8.3. However, this 55K protein was not observed with a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis carried out on plasma membrane fractions prepared from the liver, heart, and kidney tissues. An analysis of the 12 amino acids sequence at the N-terminal of the 55K protein showed that it has a similar sequence to that of bovine serum albumin.