Albumin is a soluble, monomeric protein which comprises
about one-half of the blood serum protein. Albumin functions
primarily as a carrier protein for steroids, fatty acids, and
thyroid hormones and plays a role in stabilizing extracellular
fluid volume. Albumin is a globular unglycosylated serum protein of
molecular weight 65,000. Albumin is synthesized in the liver as
preproalbumin which has an N-terminal peptide that is removed
before the nascent protein is released from the rough endoplasmic
reticulum. The product, proalbumin, is in turn cleaved in the Golgi
vesicles to produce the secreted albumin.
