proteins

Cultural  

1. Complex organic molecules (see also organic molecule) made up of amino acids. Proteins are basic components of all living cells and are therefore among the principal substances that make up the body. In addition to being necessary for the growth and repair of the body's tissues, proteins provide energy and act as enzymes that control chemical reactions in the cell.

---

Discover More

Foods that contain a high percentage of protein include meat, fish, poultry, milk products, beans, and nuts.

Example Sentences

In 2024, computer scientist Sir Demis Hassabis shared the Nobel prize for Chemistry for "revolutionary" work on proteins, the building blocks of life.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Sir Demis, chief executive of Google's AI company DeepMind, used AI to predict the structures of almost all known proteins and created a tool called AlphaFold2.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Scientists increasingly view Alzheimer's as both a neurological and vascular disease, with disrupted blood flow and blood-brain barrier damage contributing to the spread of toxic proteins.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2026

"Instead of controlling gene activity, it's physically going to sites of DNA damage and helping bring in repair proteins."

From Science Daily • May 17, 2026

More to the point was that Linus Pauling was coming to London in May for a meeting organized by the Royal Society on the structure of proteins.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson