Definition of phycobilin in English:
phycobilin
noun ˌfʌɪkə(ʊ)ˈbʌɪlɪnˌfīkōˈbīlin
Biochemistry Any of a group of red or blue photosynthetic pigments present in some algae.
Example sentencesExamples
- A second group, the Dinophysis species, have plastids containing phycobilins and chlorophyll a + c.
- It is a fundamental metabolic pathway needed for biosynthesis of cytochromes, chlorophylls, phycobilins, and the corrin nucleus of vitamin B 12.
- Rhodophytes, like glaucophytes, lack chlorophyll b but carry a complement of phycobilins arranged in phycobilisomes on unstacked thylakoids.
- Unlike any other flagellate algae, they contain phycobilins as accessory photosynthetic pigments, as do red algae and cyanobacteria.
- The picture at the right shows the two classes of phycobilins which may be extracted from these ‘algae’.