Abstract:Key words: biliverdin, chromoprotein, lipoprotein
INTRODUCTIONThe hemolymph of several insect species displays a distinct blue coloration. Detailed chemical studies have shown that this color is due to a tetrapyrrol pigment, biliverdin IX [l], bound noncavalently to proteins. The first biliprotein characterized in insects was insecticyanin from Munducu sexta [Z], which has since been studied extensively [3-51. A tetrameric protein, it is composed of four identical subunits (M, 20,000), each of which bind one m… Show more
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