noun
- Plural of plastocyanin; small copper-containing proteins found in plant chloroplasts that function as electron carriers in photosynthesis.
Usage: technical; biology; used in scientific and educational contexts
Examples
- Plastocyanins play a crucial role in transferring electrons during the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis.
- The structure of plastocyanins has been extensively studied using X-ray crystallography.
- Researchers isolated plastocyanins from spinach leaves to analyze their electron-transfer properties.
- Plastocyanins contain a copper atom at their active site, which is essential for their function.
- The evolution of plastocyanins across different plant species reveals their fundamental importance in photosynthesis.