Phycocyanobilin is a blue
phycobilin, i.e. a
tetrapyrrole chromophore found in
cyanobacteria and in the
chloroplasts of
red algae,
glaucophytes and some
cryptomonads. Phycocyanobilin is only present in the
phycobiliproteins allophycocyanin and
phycocyanin, of which it is the terminal acceptor of energy. It is covalently linked to these phycobiliproteins by a
thioether bond.