bacteriorhodopsin

[bak-teer-ee-oh-roh-dop-sin]

noun Biochemistry.

a protein complex in the membrane of halobacteria that conducts a unique form of photosynthesis, employing the light-sensitive pigment retinal rather than the chlorophyll used by all other known photosynthetic organisms.

Origin of bacteriorhodopsin

First recorded in 1975–80; bacterio- + rhodopsin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018