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cofactor
[ koh-fak-ter ]
noun
- Biochemistry. any of various organic or inorganic substances necessary to the function of an enzyme.
- Mathematics.
- a prefactor or postfactor.
- the product of the minor of a given element of a matrix times −1 raised to the power of the sum of the indices of the row and column crossed out in forming the minor.
cofactor
/ ˈkəʊˌfæktə /
noun
- See minormaths a number associated with an element in a square matrix, equal to the determinant of the matrix formed by removing the row and column in which the element appears from the given determinant See minor
- biochem a nonprotein substance that forms a complex with certain enzymes and is essential for their activity. It may be a metal ion or a coenzyme
cofactor
/ kō′făk′tər /
- A substance, such as a metallic ion or a coenzyme, that must be associated with an enzyme for the enzyme to function. Cofactors work by changing the shape of an enzyme or by actually participating in the enzymatic reaction.
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