Tungsten Cofactors, Binding Proteins, and Transporters in Biological Systems
Synonyms
Introduction
Tungsten, “scheelite” in Sweden and “heavy stone” in Nordic language, was obtained from wolframite (wolf soot or cream) in Germany, and the element is symbolized accordingly as “W.” Tungsten (atomic weight 183.85; atomic no.74; atomic radius 1.4 Å) belongs to group 6d of period VI with electronic configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d46s2. Transitional element tungsten when bound to an enzyme for providing biological activity acts as a metal cofactor. Tungsten cofactor in tungsten-containing enzyme generally involves in redox reaction but has low redox potential. The metal is generally transported by specific ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter.
Cofactors
Enzymes are generally globular proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. A cofactor is a nonprotein chemical bound to a protein to provide the biological activity of the protein. Enzymes catalyze the substrates into products. All living organisms need enzymes to work for...
References
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