Pentamer

Molecule made of five monomers

A pentamer is an entity composed of five sub-units.

In chemistry, it applies to molecules made of five monomers.

In biochemistry, it applies to macromolecules, in particular to pentameric proteins, made of five proteic sub-units.

In microbiology, a pentamer is one of the proteins composing the polyhedral protein shell that encloses the bacterial micro-compartments known as carboxysomes.

In immunology, an MHC pentamer is a reagent used to detect antigen-specific CD8+ T cells.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pentamers.
  • penta prefix
  • -mer suffix
  • Pentamerous Metamorphosis, an album by Global Communication
  • Pentamery (botany), having five parts in a distinct whorl of a plant structure
  • Pentamerous can also refer to animals, such as crinoids


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