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Definition of Cooperativity
1. Noun. (biochemistry) An interaction between the substrate binding sites of an allosteric enzyme in which binding at one site increases or decreases binding at another ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Medical Definition of Cooperativity
1. Phenomenon displayed by enzymes or receptors that have multiple binding sites. Binding of one ligand alters the affinity of the other site. Both positive and negative cooperativity are known, positive cooperativity gives rise to a sigmoidal binding curve. Cooperativity is often invoked to account for nonlinearity of binding data, although it is by no means the only possible cause. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)