Anthraniloyl-tyrosine 411 as a spectroscopic probe of fatty acid binding to human serum albumin.

Reaction of human serum albumin with p-nitrophenylanthranilate results in transesterification of the anthraniloyl group to tyrosine 411. Titration of anthraniloyl-Tyr-411-albumin with long chain or short chain fatty acids produces marked changes in the absorption and fluorescence spectra of the anthraniloyl moiety as fatty acids bind in the channel near it. It appears that the anthraniloyl group is a very sensitive probe that can follow binding of small molecules at the 3-AB subdomain of human serum albumin.