14. PROSTHETIC GROUP
A prosthetic group is the non-amino acid component that
is part of the structure of the heteroproteins or conjugated
proteins, being covalently linked to the apoprotein.
This is a component of a conjugated protein that is
required for the protein's biological activity.
The prosthetic group may be organic (such as
a vitamin, sugar, RNA, phosphate or lipid)
or inorganic (such as a metal ion).
Prosthetic groups are bound tightly to proteins and may
even be attached through a covalent bond. They often play
an important role in enzyme catalysis.
KKR1116 14
15. A protein without its prosthetic group is called an apoprotein,
while a protein combined with its prosthetic group is called
a holoprotein. A non-covalently bound prosthetic group cannot
generally be removed from the holoprotein without denaturating
the protein.
KKR1116 15