phosphorylate

[ fos-fer-uh-leyt, fos-fawr-uh-, -for- ]
/ ˈfɒs fər əˌleɪt, fɒsˈfɔr ə-, -ˈfɒr- /

verb (used with object), phos·pho·ryl·at·ed, phos·pho·ryl·at·ing. Chemistry.

to introduce the phosphoryl group into (an organic compound).

Origin of phosphorylate

First recorded in 1930–35; phosphor- + -yl + -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM phosphorylate

phos·pho·ryl·a·tion, noun

Words nearby phosphorylate

phosphorus-32, phosphoryl group, phosphorylase, phosphorylase phosphatase, phosphorylase-rupturing enzyme, phosphorylate, phosphorylation, phosphosugar, phosphotransferase, phosphotriose isomerase, phosphureted

British Dictionary definitions for phosphorylation

phosphorylation
/ (ˌfɒsfərɪˈleɪʃən) /

noun

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

Medical definitions for phosphorylation

phosphorylation
[ fŏs′fər-ə-lā′shən ]

n.

The addition of phosphate to an organic compound through the action of a phosphorylase or kinase.

Scientific definitions for phosphorylation

phosphorylation
[ fŏs′fər-ə-lā′shən ]

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).