chemotaxis

American  

[kee-moh-tak-sis, kem-oh-] / ˌki moʊˈtæk sɪs, ˌkɛm oʊ- /

noun

Biology.

1. oriented movement toward or away from a chemical stimulus.

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chemotaxis British  

/ ˌkɛməʊˈtæksɪs /

noun

1. the movement of a microorganism or cell in response to a chemical stimulus

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chemotaxis Scientific  

/ kē′mō-tăk′sĭs,kĕm′ō- /

1. The characteristic movement or orientation of an organism or cell along a chemical concentration gradient either toward or away from the chemical stimulus. Bacteria exhibit chemotaxis when they move toward a source of nutrients.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chemotactically
  adverb
• chemotactic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of chemotaxis

First recorded in 1890–95; chemo- + -taxis

Example Sentences

The researchers found that the key to understanding the chemotaxis of the droplets is the pH-gradient, as it facilitates the Marangoni effect, which describes how molecules flow from areas of high surface tension to low.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2024

An important example is the process by which cells or organisms move in response to chemical signals in their environment, also known as chemotaxis.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2024

Over the last century, how researchers understood cell migration was limited to the effects of biochemical signals, or chemotaxis, that direct a cell to move from one place to another.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2023

Leukotrienes are particularly good at attracting neutrophils from the blood to the site of infection by chemotaxis.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

At about the same time also chemotaxis, or the action of chemical substances in attracting or repelling organisms, excited attention, and all these facts together became woven into the theory.

From Disease and Its Causes by Councilman, William Thomas