| Review: |
This is the latest (Vol.37) in the Metal Ions in Biological Systems series. Manganese, element 25 in the Periodic Table, is the third most abundant transition element in the Earth's crust after iron and titanium. It is an essential element for many living systems and its uptake and transport to micro-organisms and plants, as well as its interrelations with other metal ions in health and disease are discussed in the first five chapters. The next two contributions summarize how Mn2+ may be used to elucidate the role of other divalent metal ions in ribozymes and proteins. The roles of manganese in plant lectins (concanavalin A), phosphates, xylose isomerase and arginase are examined; model complexes regarding redox enzymes are elucidated and individual accounts are given of manganese-containing catechol dioxygenases, catalases, peroxidases, and superoxide dismutase. |