Cofactors are chemical components that associate with proteins and supply properties required for particular enzyme activities. Inorganic iron–sulfur clusters participate in catalysis and electron transfer; cellular assembly machinery forms them on scaffold proteins before insertion into recipient proteins [1][2]. Metal–organic cofactors combine a metal center with an organic ligand, as in molybdenum bound within a pterin-containing catalytic group [3]. Cofactor synthesis itself can require specialized enzymatic reactions, including radical chemistry mediated by iron–sulfur proteins and S-adenosylmethionine [4]. Organic and organometallic cofactors can transfer chemical groups or generate reactive intermediates. Vitamin B12 derivatives, for instance, support methyl-group transfer or radical-mediated rearrangement through distinct chemical forms of the cobalt-containing cofactor. Protein binding positions these components relative to substrates and other catalytic groups [5][6].
- coenzymes
- metallocofactors
- enzyme maturation
- catalytic activity
Biochemical and biochemical processes·Biotechnology·Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology·Life Sciences
References
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