dictionary help| allosteric | medical dictionary |
<biochemistry, chemistry> Of a binding site in a protein, usually an enzyme.
The catalytic function of an enzyme may be modified by interaction with small molecules, not only at the active site, but also at a spatially distinct (allosteric) site of different specificity.
Of a protein, a protein possessing such a site. An allosteric effector is a molecule bound at such a site that increases or decreases the activity of the enzyme.
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(22 Feb 2008)
all-or-nothing phenomenon, allose, allosensitization, allosome < Prev | Next > allosteric enzyme, allosteric site, allosterism
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