dephosphorylation

dephosphorylation — noun

1. a chemical reaction that takes a phosphate group away from a molecule, using wat

1.nounC2
Definition

a chemical reaction that takes a phosphate group away from a molecule, using water to break the bond

Example

The enzyme alkaline phosphatase speeds up the dephosphorylation of many proteins in the body.

enzyme + speeds up + dephosphorylation + of + [protein]

In cells, dephosphorylation can switch an enzyme from an active state to an inactive one.

Common collocations
  • dephosphorylation of [protein/enzyme/ATP]
  • undergo dephosphorylation
  • catalyze dephosphorylation
  • inhibit dephosphorylation
  • dephosphorylation reaction
  • enzyme dephosphorylation
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • phosphorylation

    the opposite process — adding a phosphate group instead of removing one

Grammar Patterns

dephosphorylation + of + [molecule]

undergo + dephosphorylation

Usage Note

Common in biochemistry and cell biology contexts. The opposite process is phosphorylation (adding a phosphate group). Frequently paired with 'of' to specify the target molecule (e.g., dephosphorylation of a protein).

Common Mistakes

Dephosphorylation of the enzyme was caused by hydrolysis of water.
Dephosphorylation of the enzyme was caused by hydrolysis.
'Hydrolysis' already means a reaction with water; saying 'hydrolysis of water' is redundant.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Dephosphorylation is a specific type of hydrolysis — while hydrolysis describes any bond-breaking reaction that uses water, dephosphorylation names the particular case where a phosphate group is the target. Phosphorylation is the reverse process (adding a phosphate), so the two describe a pair of opposing cellular switches. Dephosphorolysis is a much rarer term that uses a phosphate ion instead of water as the splitting agent. In most biology textbooks and research papers, dephosphorylation is the standard word for removing a phosphate group via water.

dephosphorylation ↗hydrolysisphosphorylation ↗dephosphorolysis

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • undergo dephosphorylation
  • catalyze the dephosphorylation of
  • inhibit dephosphorylation
  • dephosphorylation reaction

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word is built from three parts: the prefix de- (meaning 'removal' or 'reversal'), phosphorylation (the process of adding a phosphate group), and the suffix -ion (forming a noun). Phosphorylation itself comes from phosphate, which traces back to phosphorus, from Greek phōs (light) and phoros (carrier) — phosphorus was named historically because it glows in the dark.