1. Plural of cysteine; amino acids containing a thiol group (-SH) that are found in proteins and play important roles in protein structure and function.
Usage: biochemistry; technical term; commonly used in molecular biology and protein chemistry

Examples

• Cysteines in proteins can form disulfide bonds with each other, stabilizing protein structure.
• The enzyme contains several cysteines that are critical for its catalytic activity.
• Disulfide bridges between cysteines help maintain the three-dimensional shape of antibodies.
• Cysteines are among the least abundant amino acids found in most proteins.
• The redox state of cysteines in a protein can affect its function and localization.