Human Metabolome Database: Heme
Description
The color-furnishing portion of hemoglobin. It is found free in tissues and as the prosthetic group in many hemeproteins. A heme or haem is a prosthetic group that consists of an iron atom contained in the center of a large heterocyclic organic ring called a porphyrin. Not all porphyrins contain iron, but a substantial fraction of porphyrin-containing metalloproteins have heme as their prosthetic subunit; these are known as hemoproteins.
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