A protein containing heme that plays a crucial role in cellular respiration by transferring electrons in the mitochondria.
From Greek 'kytos' (cell) and 'chroma' (color), literally meaning 'cell color'. Named in the 1920s when scientists noticed these proteins gave cells their distinctive colors under the microscope.
Cytochromes are essentially the electrical wiring of your cells—they form an electron transport chain that creates the energy currency ATP, which powers virtually every process in your body. Without cytochromes, complex life as we know it couldn't exist.
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