Word
methylation
Phoneticsmethy·la·tion
Definition
n. a chemical process where a methyl group is added to a molecule. This often changes how the molecule behaves or reacts with other substances.
n. the chemical process of adding a methyl group to a compound. This modification is fundamental in organic chemistry and biochemistry, particularly in the regulation of gene expression and the synthesis of various biomolecules.
Examples
“The methylation of DNA can silence specific genes.”
“Scientists are studying how environmental toxins affect the methylation of proteins in the liver.”
“Epigenetic changes, such as the methylation of histone tails, play a critical role in determining which genes are expressed during the early stages of embryonic development.”
Examples
simple
“The methylation of DNA can silence specific genes.”
contextual
“Scientists are studying how environmental toxins affect the methylation of proteins in the liver.”
complex
“Epigenetic changes, such as the methylation of histone tails, play a critical role in determining which genes are expressed during the early stages of embryonic development.”
Real-World Examples
“To prevent this, organisms often rely on epigenetic mechanisms (cellular processes such as DNA methylation that control gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence) to keep transposons inactive.” “Comparisons with cellular data indicated that methylation helps direct some transcription factors to different locations in the genome.” Etymology
From methyl + -ation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/methylation