Meanings
plural peripheral membrane proteins
- countableuncountablebiochemistryAny of a class of proteins that adhere only temporarily to the biological membrane with which they are associated.
Peripheral membrane proteins can attach to the surface of the plasmalemma by ionic interactions with an integral protein, another peripheral membrane protein, or by interaction with the polar head groups of the phospholipids.
2005, J. William Krause, Krause's Essential Human Histology for Medical Students, page 81 more example
2000. Lodish H, Berk A, Zipursky SL, et al. Molecular Cell Biology. 4th edition. New York: W. H. Freeman; 2000. Section 3.4, Membrane Proteins. Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20201105231908/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21570/ Peripheral membrane proteins, or extrinsic proteins, do not interact with the hydrophobic core of the phospholipid bilayer.
Synonyms: extrinsic protein
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of a class of proteins that adhere only temporarily to the biological membrane with which they are associated.
Cite this entry
peripheral membrane protein. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peripheral%20membrane%20protein
“peripheral membrane protein.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peripheral%20membrane%20protein. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “peripheral membrane protein,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peripheral%20membrane%20protein.
Source: peripheral membrane protein on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.