Serum Amyloid A (SAA) proteins are a family of apolipoproteins associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in plasma. These proteins play a crucial role in the acute phase response, a rapid inflammatory response to trauma, infection, or other stressors. Among the SAA proteins, Serum Amyloid A1 (SAA1) is particularly significant due to its involvement in various physiological and pathological processes.
SAA1 is a small protein consisting of 104 amino acids . It is primarily produced by hepatocytes in the liver and is secreted into the bloodstream. During an acute phase response, the levels of SAA1 can increase dramatically, up to 1000-fold within 24 hours . This rapid increase is largely due to de novo synthesis in the liver, triggered by inflammatory cytokines .
The recombinant form of SAA1, known as Human Recombinant (APO-SAA1), is often tagged with a His (histidine) tag to facilitate purification and detection. This recombinant protein is produced in E. coli and is a single, non-glycosylated polypeptide chain containing 125 amino acids, including the His tag .
SAA1 has several important biological functions:
The recombinant form of SAA1 is used in various research and clinical applications: