porphobilin Biochem.
(pɔːfəʊˈbaɪlɪn)
[a. G. porphobilin (Waldenström & Vahlquist 1939, in Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem. CCLX. 191), f. porph-yrie porphyria + -o + L. bīl-is bile: see -in1.]
Any of a group of red-brown pigments derived from porphobilinogen.
| 1939 Chem. Abstr. XXXIII. 8777/1 Boiling in acid destroys I by conversion to a red porphobilin (II) with a mol. wt. of 750 to 800. 1952 Science 2 May 496/2 Solutions of porphobilinogen obtained by the above method, after having been acidified to pH 4·0 and boiled for 30 min, gave rise only to porphobilin, a dark-brown pigment without characteristic absorption spectrum or any porphyrin characteristics. 1964 A. White et al. Princ. Biochem. (ed. 3) xlii. 793 The urine darkens markedly on standing, because of the conversion of abnormal quantities of porphyrinogens and other heme precursors into porphyrins, porphobilins, and other unidentified pigments. |