haemocyanin
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he·mo·cy·a·nin
(hē'mō-sī'ă-nin)An oxygen-carrying pigment in some mollusks, crustacea, and arthropods; contains copper rather than heme; used as an experimental antigen.
Synonym(s): haemocyanin.
Synonym(s): haemocyanin.
[hemo- + G. kyanos, blue material, + -in]
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012
haemocyanin
a respiratory pigment found in the blood plasma of many molluscs and crustaceans that performs the same function Transverse section of an insect, showing the positions of the heart, haemocoel and blood flow.as HAEMOGLOBIN in other animals. The metallic radicle of its PROSTHETIC GROUP, however, is copper rather than iron, giving the molecule a bluish colour.
Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005