myoglobin

American  

[mahy-uh-gloh-bin, mahy-uh-gloh-] / ˌmaɪ əˈgloʊ bɪn, ˈmaɪ əˌgloʊ- /

Also myohemoglobin

noun

Biochemistry.

1. hemoglobin of muscle, weighing less and carrying more oxygen and less carbon monoxide than blood hemoglobin.

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myoglobin British  

/ ˌmaɪəʊˈɡləʊbɪn /

noun

1. a protein that is the main oxygen-carrier of muscle

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myoglobin Scientific  

/ mī′ə-glō′bĭn /

1. An iron-containing protein found in muscle fibers, consisting of heme connected to a single peptide chain that resembles one of the subunits of hemoglobin. Myoglobin combines with oxygen released by red blood cells and transfers it to the mitochondria of muscle cells, where it is used to produce energy.

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Etymology

Origin of myoglobin

First recorded in 1920–25; myo- + globin

Compare meaning

How does myoglobin compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• myoglobin vs. hemoglobin

Example Sentences

The meatball was made of sheep cells inserted with a singular mammoth gene called myoglobin.

From Reuters • Mar. 28, 2023

That’s because this wasn’t blood; it was a hemoglobin cousin, myoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of muscle, which is released into the bloodstream after an injury.

From New York Times • May 26, 2022

It’s actually myoglobin, a protein that gives meat and its juices their red color.

From Fox News • Mar. 13, 2022

Because they do not primarily use aerobic metabolism, they do not possess substantial numbers of mitochondria or significant amounts of myoglobin and therefore have a white color.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

If we were lucky, the damage to the myoglobin molecules which prevented crystallization would be averted by immediately freezing the exracehorse’s heart.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson