any of a group of basic simple proteins that occur, in association with nucleic acids, in the sperm of some fish
Word origin
C19: from German: see proto-, amine
protamine in American English
(ˈproʊtəˌmin; ˈproʊtəmɪn)
noun
any of a class of simple proteins that are soluble in ammonia, do not coagulate by heat, and yield relatively few amino acids upon hydrolysis: used to control hemorrhage