A pentamer is an entity composed of five
sub-units.
In chemistry, it applies to molecules made of five
monomer
In chemistry, a monomer ( ; ''mono-'', "one" + '' -mer'', "part") is a molecule that can react together with other monomer molecules to form a larger polymer chain or three-dimensional network in a process called polymerization.
Classification
Mo ...
s.
In biochemistry, it applies to macromolecules, in particular to
pentameric protein A pentameric protein is a quaternary protein structure that consists of five protein subunits.
Examples
Ligand-gated ion channels
Five sub-units come together to form a channel. Each channel consist of two alpha chain, one beta, one gamma and o ...
s, made of five proteic sub-units.
In microbiology, a pentamer is one of the proteins composing the polyhedral protein shell that encloses the bacterial micro-compartments known as
carboxysome
Carboxysomes are bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) consisting of polyhedral protein shells filled with the enzymes ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO)—the predominant enzyme in carbon fixation and the rate limiting e ...
s.
In immunology, an
MHC pentamer is a reagent used to detect antigen-specific CD8+
T cell
A T cell is a type of lymphocyte. T cells are one of the important white blood cells of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes by the presence of a T-cell r ...
s.
See also
*
penta
Penta may refer to:
Places
* , an Italian hamlet (') of Fisciano, Salerno
* Penta-di-Casinca, a French municipality of Corsica
* Penta, Chhattisgarh, a town in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, India
* , a small river in Lithuania
Other
* Pent ...
prefix
*
-mer suffix
* ''
Pentamerous Metamorphosis
''Pentamerous Metamorphosis'' is an album by Global Communication originally released in 1993 on Dedicated Records. It is a reworking of the ''Blood Music'' album by Chapterhouse and was originally only available as a bonus CD bundled with the ...
'', an album by Global Communication
*
Pentamery (botany), having five parts in a distinct whorl of a plant structure
* Pentamerous can also refer to animals, such as
crinoids
Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...
Oligomers
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