Tetramer

A tetramer (/ˈtɛtrəmər/) (tetra-, "four" + -mer, "parts") is an oligomer formed from four monomers or subunits. The associated property is called tetramery. An example from inorganic chemistry is titanium methoxide with the empirical formula Ti(OCH₃)₄, which is tetrameric in solid state and has the molecular formula Ti₄(OCH₃)₁₆.^[1] An example from organic chemistry is kobophenol A, a substance that is formed by combining four molecules of resveratrol.^[2][3]

An example of a subunit, human hemoglobin. The protein's α and β subunits are coloured red and blue.

In biochemistry, it similarly refers to a biomolecule formed of four units, that are the same (homotetramer), i.e. as in Concanavalin A or different (heterotetramer), i.e. as in hemoglobin. Hemoglobin has 4 similar sub-units while immunoglobulins have 2 very different sub-units. The different sub-units may have each their own activity, such as binding biotin in avidin tetramers, or have a common biological property, such as the allosteric binding of oxygen in hemoglobin.

See also

• Cluster chemistry; atomic and molecular clusters
• Tetrameric protein
• Tetramerium, a genus of plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae
• Tetramery (botany), having four parts in a distinct whorl of a plant structure

References

1. Wright, D. A.; Williams, D. A. (1968). "The crystal and molecular structure of titanium tetramethoxide". Acta Crystallogr. B. 24 (8): 1107–1114. doi:10.1107/S0567740868003766.
2. Shu, Na; Zhou, Hong; Hu, Changqi (2006). "Simultaneous determination of the contents of three stilbene oligomers in Caragana sinica collected in different seasons using an improved HPLC method". Biol. Pharm. Bull. 29 (4): 608–612. doi:10.1248/bpb.29.608. PMID 16595888.
3. Li, Liya; Henry, Geneive E.; Seeram, Navindra P. (2009). "Identification and bioactivities of resveratrol oligomers and flavonoids from Carex folliculata seeds". J. Agric. Food Chem. 57 (16): 7282–7287. doi:10.1021/jf901716j. PMID 19627089.