Cofactors

Author: Gianpiero Pescarmona
Date: 07/10/2007

Description

Cofactors are a non-protein chemical compound that are bound (either tightly or loosely) to a protein and are required for the protein's biological activity.

Cofactors are also often further classified depending on how tightly they bind to the protein:

  • loosely-bound cofactors termed coenzymes
  • tightly-bound cofactors termed prosthetic groups

Coenzymes

Coenzymes are molecules shared by different metabolic pathways and modulate their interactions (eg.: ATP, AMP, NAD/NADH).

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