Molybdopterin


Molybdopterins are a class of cofactors found in most molybdenum (Mo) and all tungsten (W) enzymes. Synonyms for molydopterin are: MPT and pyranopterin-dithiolate. The nomenclature for this biomolecule can be confusing: Molybdopterin per se contains no molybdenum; rather, this is the name of the ligand (a pterin) that will bind the active metal. After molydopterin is eventually complexed with molybdenum, the complete ligand is usually called molybdenum cofactor.