1. plural of nuclein; complex organic compounds containing phosphorus and nitrogen found in cell nuclei, now known as nucleic acids
Usage: archaic; biochemistry

Examples

• Early biochemists studied nucleins extracted from white blood cells.
• The discovery of nucleins marked an important step in understanding cellular structure.
• Miescher first isolated nucleins from salmon sperm in 1869.
• Scientists found that nucleins were rich in phosphorus.
• The term nucleins has been largely replaced by nucleic acids in modern biology.
• Research on nucleins laid the groundwork for DNA studies.