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

• chemotactic adjective
• chemotactically adverb

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

An example of a positive chemotaxis is exhibited by the unicellular protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Upon the basis of a careful diagnosis, the necessary nutritive salts or cell-foods, carefully compounded in accordance with the law of chemotaxis must be administered.

From Valere Aude Dare to Be Healthy, Or, The Light of Physical Regeneration by Dechmann, Louis