| haptoglobin | <protein> Acid _2 plasma glycoprotein that binds to oxyhaemoglobin that is free in the plasma and the complex is then removed in the liver. Tetrameric (2 _, 2 _ subunits): the existence of two different _ chains in humans means that haptoglobins can exist in three variants in heterozygotes. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| haptoglobins | Plasma glycoproteins that form a stable complex with haemoglobin to aid the recycling of haem iron. They are encoded in man by a gene on the short arm of chromosome 16. (12 Dec 1998) |