Tetramer
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A tetramer (/ˈtɛtrəmər/) (tetra-, "four" + -mer, "parts") is an oligomer formed from four monomers or subunits. The associated propriety is called tetramery. An example is kobophenol A, a molecule formed from four stilbenoids monomers.
In biochemistry, it similarly refers to a biomolecule formed of four units, that are the same (homotetramer), i.e. as in Concanavalin A or different (heterotetramer), i.e. as in hemoglobin. Hemoglobin has 4 similar sub-units while immunoglobulins have 2 very different sub-units. The different sub-units may have each their own activity, such as binding biotin in avidin tetramers, or have a common biological property, such as the allosteric binding of oxygen in hemoglobin.
See also
- Tetrameric protein
- Tetramery (botany), tetramerous, a plant with four component parts in each whorls of its structure
- Tetramerium, a genus of plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae
- Cluster chemistry; atomic and molecular clusters
References
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