Protein

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Protein \Pro"te*in\, n. [Gr. prw^tos first: cf. prwtei^on the
     first place.] (Physiol. Chem.)
     any polymer of an amino acid joined by peptide (amide) bonds.
     Most natural proteins have alpha-amino acids as the monomeric
     constituents. All classical enzymes are composed of protein,
     and control most of the biochemical transformations carrie


     dout in living cells. They may be soluble, as casein,
     albumins, and other globular proteins, or insoluble (e. g.
     "structural proteins"), as collagen or keratin. "albumin", an
     older term for protein, is now used primarily to refer to
     certain specific soluble globular proteins found in eggs or
     blood serum, e.g. {bovine serum albumin}, the main soluble
     protein in teh serum of cattle, used as an enzymatically
     inert protein in biochemical research.
  
     Note: In the 1913 dictionary, protein was defined as: "A body
           now known as alkali albumin, but originally considered
           to be the basis of all albuminous substances, whence
           its name."
           [1913 Webster + PJC]
  
     {Protein crystal}. (Bot.) See {Crystalloid}, n., 2.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Proteid \Pro"te*id\, n. [Gr. prw^tos first.] (Physiol. Chem.)
     An older, imprecise term replaced by {{protein}}.
  
     Note: Proteid was defined in the 1913 Webster as "One of a
           class of amorphous nitrogenous principles, containing,
           as a rule, a small amount of sulphur; an albuminoid, as
           blood fibrin, casein of milk, etc. Proteids are present
           in nearly all animal fluids and make up the greater
           part of animal tissues and organs. They are also
           important constituents of vegetable tissues. See 2d
           Note under {Food}." -- {Pro"te*id}, a.
  
     Syn: protein.
          [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     {Defensive proteid} (Physiol. Chem.), one of a class of
        proteid substances, present in some animal tissues and
        fluids, that make the body immune to certain infectious
        diseases by destroying or rendering inactive the toxic
        products of bacterial growth; -- this is an older term
        replaced by more precise modern immunological concepts
        such as {antibody} and {immunoglobulin}. [archaic]
        [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Protein \Pro"te*in\, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
     In chemical analysis, the total nitrogenous material in
     vegetable or animal substances, obtained by multiplying the
     total nitrogen found by a factor, usually 6.25, assuming most
     proteids to contain approximately 16 per cent of nitrogen.
     [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  macromolecule \mac`ro*mol"e*cule\, n. (Chem., Biochem.)
     A very large molecule, especially a polymer having from
     hundreds to many thousands of atoms, such as {DNA}, {RNA},
     {protein}, {polysaccharide}, {polyethylene}, {polycarbonate},
     etc.
     [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  protein
       n : any of a large group of nitrogenous organic compounds that
           are essential constituents of living cells; consist of
           polymers of amino acids; essential in the diet of animals
           for growth and for repair of tissues; can be obtained
           from meat and eggs and milk and legumes; "a diet high in
           protein"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  66 Moby Thesaurus words for "protein":
     albumin, albuminoid, amino acid, androcyte, antheridium,
     antherozoid, casein, chlorophyll, chromoprotein, collagen,
     dipeptide, edestin, elastin, fibroin, globin, globulin, glutenin,
     glycoprotein, hemoglobin, histone, ichthulin, interferon,
     lactalbumin, lecithoprotein, lipid, lipoprotein, lysozyme,
     male gamete, milt, mucin, nucleohistone, nucleoprotein, oryzenin,
     osseomucoid, peptide, peptone, phosphoaminolipide, phosphoprotein,
     pollen, prolamine, protamine, proteid, proteose, protide, salmine,
     scum, seed, semen, seminal fluid, serum globulin, sperm,
     sperm cell, spermagonium, spermatic fluid, spermatid,
     spermatiophore, spermatium, spermatocyte, spermatogonium,
     spermatophore, spermatozoa, spermatozoid, spermatozoon, tendomucin,
     thymus histone, zein