Biological Role
Cobalt is essential to all animals. It is a key constituent of cobalamin, also known as vitamin B, which is the primary biological reservoir of cobalt as an "ultratrace" element. Bacteria in the guts of ruminant animals convert cobalt salts into vitamin B, a compound which can only be produced by bacteria or archaea. The minimum presence of cobalt in soils therefore markedly improves the health of grazing animals, and an uptake of 0.20 mg/kg a day is recommended for them, as they can obtain vitamin B in no other way. In the early 20th century during the development for farming of the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand, cattle suffered from what was termed "bush sickness". It was discovered that the volcanic soils lacked cobalt salts, which was necessary for cattle. The ailment was cured by adding small amounts of cobalt to fertilizers.
Non-ruminant herbivores produce vitamin B from bacteria in their colons which again make the vitamin from simple cobalt salts. However the vitamin cannot be absorbed from the colon, and thus non-ruminants must ingest feces to obtain the nutrient. Animals that do not follow these methods of getting vitamin B from their own gastrointestinal bacteria or that of other animals, must obtain the vitamin pre-made in other animal products in their diet, and they cannot benefit from ingesting simple cobalt salts.
The cobalamin-based proteins use corrin to hold the cobalt. Coenzyme B12 features a reactive C-Co bond, which participates in its reactions. In humans, B12 exists with two types of alkyl ligand: methyl and adenosyl. MeB12 promotes methyl (-CH3) group transfers. The adenosyl version of B12 catalyzes rearrangements in which a hydrogen atom is directly transferred between two adjacent atoms with concomitant exchange of the second substituent, X, which may be a carbon atom with substituents, an oxygen atom of an alcohol, or an amine. Methylmalonyl coenzyme A mutase (MUT) converts MMl-CoA to Su-CoA, an important step in the extraction of energy from proteins and fats.
Although far less common than other metalloproteins (e.g. those of zinc and iron), cobaltoproteins are known aside from B12. These proteins include methionine aminopeptidase 2 an enzyme that occurs in humans and other mammals which does not use the corrin ring of B12, but binds cobalt directly. Another non-corrin cobalt enzyme is nitrile hydratase, an enzyme in bacteria that are able to metabolize nitriles.
Read more about this topic: Cobalt
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