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cytosol

American  
[sahy-tuh-sawl, -sol] / ˈsaɪ təˌsɔl, -ˌsɒl /

noun

Cell Biology.
  1. the water-soluble components of cell cytoplasm, constituting the fluid portion that remains after removal of the organelles and other intracellular structures.


cytosol British  
/ ˈsaɪtəʊˌsɒl /

noun

  1. the solution of proteins and metabolites inside a biological cell, in which the organelles are suspended

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cytosol Scientific  
/ sītə-sôl′,-sŏl′ /
  1. The fluid component of cytoplasm, containing the insoluble, suspended cytoplasmic components. In prokaryotes, all chemical reactions take place in the cytosol. In eukaryotes, the cytosol surrounds the organelles.


Other Word Forms

  • cytosolic adjective

Etymology

Origin of cytosol

1965–70; cyto- + sol(ution), on the model of hydrosol, etc.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The cytosol is also packed full of gene copies, although these come from the cell's nucleus, where most of the many thousands of the plant's genes are stored.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2024

"It caused a pile-up of PPR proteins in the cytosol."

From Science Daily • May 17, 2024

First, the lack of functional ARID1A leads to escape of DNA into the cytosol.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

Next, the cytosolic DNA activates an antiviral alarm system -- the cGAS-STING pathway -- since our cells are adapted to flag any DNA in the cytosol as foreign to protect us against viral infections.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

The RNA copy of a gene then moved from the nucleus to the cytosol, where its message was decoded to build a protein.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee