globulin

American  

[glob-yuh-lin] / ˈglɒb yə lɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of a group of proteins, as myosin, occurring in plant and animal tissue, insoluble in pure water but soluble in dilute salt solutions and coagulable by heat.

2. any of several groups of blood plasma proteins, divided into fractions, as alpha, beta, or gamma globulin, depending on electrophoretic mobility.

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globulin British  

/ ˈɡlɒbjʊlɪn /

noun

1. any of a group of simple proteins, including gamma globulin, that are generally insoluble in water but soluble in salt solutions and coagulated by heat

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globulin Scientific  

/ glŏb′yə-lĭn /

1. A major class of proteins found in the seeds of plants and in various tissues and substances of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, including blood, muscle, and milk. The globulins in blood comprise all the plasma proteins besides albumin. Two kinds, alpha and beta globulin, are primarily transport proteins or serve as substrates for forming other substances, and include lipoproteins and enzymes. A third kind, the gamma globulins, consists almost entirely of the immunoglobulins. Most globulins are insoluble in water but soluble in saline solution.

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Etymology

Origin of globulin

First recorded in 1825–35; globule + -in ²

Example Sentences

We were herded into hastily set-up clinics to get shots of gamma globulin, which was thought to boost our immune systems.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2024

Doctors are trying experimental therapies like cidofovir, brincidofovir, tecovirimat, and vaccinia immune globulin.

From Scientific American • Jun. 30, 2022

IVig — short for intravenous immune globulin — is a treatment for patients with antibody deficiencies.

From Fox News • Jan. 18, 2022

That’s when the Centers for Disease Control decided to go for eradication, picking Rubeovax for its shot, even though it required that gamma globulin, because it was cheaper.

From Slate • Feb. 9, 2021

One is a peptone and the other a globulin.

From The Film Mystery by Reeve, Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin)