phosphorylation

British  

/ ˌfɒsfərɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the chemical or enzymic introduction into a compound of a phosphoryl group (a trivalent radical of phosphorus and oxygen)

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phosphorylation Scientific  

/ fŏs′fər-ə-lā′shən /

1. The addition of a phosphate group to an organic molecule. Phosphorylation is important for many processes in living cells. ATP is formed during cell respiration from ADP by phosphorylation, as in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells (oxidative phosphorylation) and the chloroplasts of plant cells (photosynthetic phosphorylation). Phosphorylation also regulates the activity of proteins, such as enzymes, which are often activated by the addition of a phosphate group and deactivated by its removal (called dephosphorylation).

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Example Sentences

Oxidative phosphorylation enzymes were commonly observed in breast cancer cells but were largely missing in lung cancer cells.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

Clearly, reducing the phosphorylation of N and creating N* has offered benefits that have allowed this mutation to flourish among generations of variants.

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2024

To their surprise, Carr's team found an increase in acetylation of mitochondrial proteins involved in energy production, and in a phosphorylation signal that regulates energy storage, both in the liver that changed during exercise.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2024

It turns out that fatty acids and glycerol may have undergone phosphorylation to create that more stable, double chain structure.

From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024

The charging of the battery, in which ADP and a free phosphate group are combined to restore ATP, is coupled to the oxidative process; the close linking is known as coupled phosphorylation.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson