phycoerythrin

Thân thiện

A scientist examines phycoerythrin under a microscope in the laboratory.

Definition

Noun: 1. A red photosynthetic pigment found in red algae and some cyanobacteria: Phycoerythrin is a protein-pigment complex (a phycobiliprotein) that absorbs blue-green light and appears red. It plays a crucial role in capturing light energy for photosynthesis in certain algae, particularly in deeper waters where other wavelengths of light are filtered out.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The characteristic red color of the seaweed is due to the presence of phycoerythrin.
  • Scientists study phycoerythrin for its fluorescent properties, which are useful in biological research.
  • In low-light marine environments, phycoerythrin allows red algae to utilize the available blue light efficiently.

Advanced Usage

• As a fluorescent tag: Due to its strong fluorescence, purified phycoerythrin is often conjugated to antibodies or other molecules to serve as a fluorescent label (a tag) in flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy.
  • The cell population was labeled with an antibody linked to phycoerythrin for analysis.

Variants and Related Words

• Phycobiliprotein (n): The broader class of light-harvesting pigment proteins to which phycoerythrin belongs. Other members include phycocyanin (blue) and allophycocyanin.
• Phycoerythrobilin (n): The specific light-absorbing chromophore (the pigmented molecule) bound within the phycoerythrin protein.

Synonyms

• R-phycoerythrin (a specific type)
• B-phycoerythrin (a specific type)
• Red algal pigment

Related Terms & Context

• Photosynthesis (n): The biological process for which phycoerythrin functions as an accessory pigment.
• Chlorophyll (n): The primary green pigment in photosynthesis; phycoerythrin is an accessory pigment that complements chlorophyll's light absorption.
• Accessory pigment (n): A pigment that captures light energy and transfers it to chlorophyll-a; phycoerythrin is a key example.

Học thuật

Noun

1. red pigment in red algae