vanabins
Sign in to saveAlso known as vanadium-associated proteins, vanadium chromagen
thumb|3-D representation of the structure of Vanabin2 from Ascisia sydneiensis var. samea
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- protein superfamily
Show 1 more fact
- found in taxon
- Ascidiacea
via Wikidata · CC0
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Encyclopedic overview
6 sectionsContents
- Possible function
- Vanabins as oxygen carriers
- Vanabins not oxygen carriers
- History
- References
- External links
thumb|3-D representation of the structure of Vanabin2 from Ascisia sydneiensis var. samea
Vanabins (also known as vanadium-associated proteins or vanadium chromagen) are a group of vanadium-binding metalloproteins. Vanabins are found almost exclusively in the blood cells, or vanadocytes, of some tunicates (sea squirts), including the Ascidiacea. The vanabins extracted from tunicate vanadocytes are often called hemovanadins. These organisms are able to concentrate vanadium from the surrounding seawater, and vanabin proteins have been involved in collecting and accumulating this metal ion. At present there is no conclusive understanding of why these organisms collect vanadium.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “vanabins” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.