A complex of protein and nucleic acid, the form in which essentially all nucleic acid s exist in nature; chromosomes and viruses are largely n..
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nu·cleo·pro·tein .n(y)ü-klē-ō-'prō-.tēn, -'prōt-ē-ən n a compound that consists of a protein (as a histone) conjugated with a nucleic acid (as a DNA) and that is the principal constituent of the hereditary material in chromosomes
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n.
a compound that occurs in cells and consists of nucleic acid and protein tightly bound together. ribosome are nucleoproteins containing RNA; chromosome are nucleoproteins containing DNA.
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nu·cleo·pro·tein (noo″kle-o-proґtēn) a substance composed of a simple basic protein, usually a histone or protamine, combined with a nucleic acid.Medical dictionary. 2011.