Gradio - lcbc-epfl.github.io  ## Metadata - Author: **lcbc-epfl.github.io** - Full Title: Gradio - Category: #articles - URL: https://lcbc-epfl.github.io/metal-site-prediction/ ## Highlights - Metal ions are essential cofactors for many proteins. In fact, currently, about half of the structurally characterized proteins contain a metal ion. Metal ions play a crucial role for many applications such as enzyme design or design of protein-protein interactions because they are biologically abundant, tether to the protein using strong interactions, and have favorable catalytic properties e.g. as Lewis acid - Metalloproteins are ubiquitous in nature and are present in all major enzyme families.1,2The metals predominantly found in biological systems are the first and second row alkali and earth alkali metals and the first row transition metals such as zinc and copper. Zinc is the most common transition metal (present in ~10% of deposited structures) and can fulfill both a structural (e.g. in zinc finger proteins) or a catalytic role in up to trinuclear active sites. Zn2+ is an excellent Lewis acid and is most often found in tetrahedral, pentavalent, or octahedral coordination. About 10 % of all reactions catalyzed by enzymes use zinc as cofactor3