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

The team identified proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation, the cellular process responsible for generating most of a cell's energy, as regular occupants of the nucleus.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

"This is one of the first demonstrations that phosphorylation can control how cells interact in the extracellular space," Dalva said.

From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2025

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

Ghosh said the conflict stems from problematic phosphorylation, the attachment of a phosphate group to the G protein molecule.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 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