Lanthanide biochemical effect

The extensive range of physiological and biochemical effects of the lanthanide elements holds out the possibility of significant effects on plant and animal growth and development. The results reported from China indicate that such effects occur under field conditions when a soluble extract of rare earths is appropriately applied to crops under a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. 

Lanthanides are better cofactors than Ca2+ for the activation of trypsinogen by trypsin. Proteins like calmodulin retain their biochemical activity even after substitution by a lanthanide. This is due to the same degree of conformational changes produced by Ca2+ and Ln3+ ions. But most Ca2+ requiring proteins function less effectively on substitution... 

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