A molybdenum cofactor is a biochemical
cofactor that contains
molybdenum
Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42 which is located in period 5 and group 6. The name is from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'', which is based on Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lea ...
.
Examples include:
*
Molybdopterin
Molybdopterins are a class of cofactors found in most molybdenum-containing and all tungsten-containing enzymes. Synonyms for molybdopterin are: MPT and pyranopterin-dithiolate. The nomenclature for this biomolecule can be confusing: Molybdopter ...
(or, strictly speaking, the molybdopterin-molybdenum-complex), the organophosphate-dithiolate ligand that binds molybdenum and tungsten in most molybdenum- (except nitrogenases) and all tungsten-containing proteins
*
FeMoco
FeMoco ( cofactor) is the primary cofactor of nitrogenase. Nitrogenase is the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen molecules N2 into ammonia (NH3) through the process known as nitrogen fixation. Containing iron and molyb ...
, a metal cluster that contains Fe, Mo, and S that is found in some nitrogenases
{{SIA