BIOCHEMISTRY OF

COBALT
 COBALT
o Cobalt is a transitional metal that occupies a position in the periodic table
between iron and nickel
o Cobalt is a relatively rare element of the earths crust, which is essential to
mammals in the form of cobalamin (vitamin B12)
o Cobalt plays a number of crucial roles in many biological functions.
o The adult human body contains approximately 1 mg of cobalt,85% of
which is in the form of vitamin B12.

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 BIOCHEMISTRY OF COBALT
The biochemically important naturally occurring compounds of
cobalt are:
o cyanocobalamine (vitamin B12)
o Adenosyl cobalamine
o Methyl cobalamine

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 Cyanocobalamine (Vitamin B12)
➢ Vitamin B12 – The only vitamin known to contain a metal
➢ Required for several enzymatic transformations.
➢An octahedral cobalt complex consisting of a corrin ring.
➢ Co3+ is attached to four ring nitrogen atoms.
➢ Fifth position is occupied by another nitrogen from a side chain.
➢ The sixth position is occupied by a CN group in
cyanocobalamin.

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Functions
• Red blood cell formation.
• Nervous system – maintains myelin sheath around nerves
• Helps treat pernicious anemia
Deficiency
• Pernicious anaemia
• Nerve degeneration

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 ADENOSYL COBALAMINE
o Adenosylcobalamine also known as coenzyme-B12,is a biologically
active form of B12
o It serves as the cofactor for a relatively small group of enzymes,that
catalyze unusual rearrangement or elimination reactions.
o Enzymes like Glutamic mutase (metabolism of amino acids) and ribo-
nucleotide reductase (biosynthesis of DNA) are adenosylocobalamine
dependent enzymes.

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METHYL COBALAMINE
o Methyl cobalamine is notable as a rare example of a
compound that contains metal-alkali bonds.
o Biological functions :methyl transfer reactions;in the synthesis
of methionine,acetic acid synthesis and methane synthesis (in
bacteria).
o Methyl cobalamine is produced by some bacteria.In the
environment ,it is responsible for the biomethylation of
certain heavy metals.For example,the highly toxic methyl
mercury is produced by the action of methyl cobalamine.In
this role,methyl cobalamine serves as a source of CH3.

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thank you
SHADA C P