Conjugated protein

A conjugated protein is a protein that functions in interaction with other chemical groups attached by covalent bonds or by weak interactions.

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Many proteins contain only amino acids and no other chemical groups, and they are called simple proteins. However, other kind of proteins yield, on hydrolysis, some other chemical component in addition to amino acids and they are called conjugated proteins. The nonamino part of a conjugated protein is usually called its prosthetic group. Conjugated proteins are classified on the basis of the chemical nature of their prosthetic groups.

Some examples of conjugated proteins are lipoproteins, glycoproteins, phosphoproteins, hemoproteins, flavoproteins, metalloproteins, phytochromes, cytochromes and opsins.

Glycoproteins are generally the largest and most abundant group of conjugated proteins. They range from glycoproteins in cell surface membranes that constitute the glycocalyx, to important antibodies produced by leukocytes.