cytochrome

[ sahy-tuh-krohm ]

/ ˈsaɪ təˌkroʊm /

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noun Biochemistry.

any of several carrier molecules in the mitochondria of plant and animal cells, consisting of a protein and an iron-containing porphyrin ring and participating in the stepwise transfer of electrons in oxidation reactions: each cytochrome alternately accepts and releases an electron at a slightly lower energy level in the order designated b, c1, c, a, and a3.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of cytochrome

First recorded in 1895–1900; cyto- + -chrome

Words nearby cytochrome

cytidine monophosphate, cytidylic acid, cyto-, cytoanalyzer, cytochemistry, cytochrome, cytochrome reductase, cytocidal, cytoclasis, cytoclastic, cytogenesis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cytochrome in a sentence

It might have been particularly attractive to the bacteria that were forerunners of mitochondria, since cytochrome c oxidase, the last enzyme in the chain of reactions that mitochondria use to produce energy, requires copper to function.
DNA’s Histone Spools Hint at How Complex Cells Evolved|Viviane Callier|May 10, 2021|Quanta Magazine

British Dictionary definitions for cytochrome

cytochrome

/ (ˈsaɪtəʊˌkrəʊm) /

noun

any of a group of naturally occurring compounds, consisting of iron, a protein, and a porphyrin, that are important in cell oxidation-reduction reactions

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cytochrome

cytochrome

[ sī′tə-krōm′ ]

Any of a class of usually colored proteins that play important roles in oxidative processes and energy transfer during cell metabolism and cellular respiration. Cytochromes are electron carriers. They contain a heme group and are similar in structure to hemoglobin and chlorophyll. The most abundant and stable type is cytochrome c. By comparing different kinds of cytochromes, scientists can trace the evolutionary relationships of the organisms in which they occur.