phosphorylation

British  

/ ˌfɒsfərɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

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

---

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).

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phosphorylation

The team found that phosphite, a form of phosphorus naturally found in hydrothermal vents, can react with organic compounds in the presence of palladium and produce reactions associated with metabolic phosphorylation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Mar. 9, 2026

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

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

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