phosphate
Type: molecule Aliases: phosphate groupphosphates
- Systems Analogy A tiny mineral tag added to proteins to switch their activity on or off.
- Formal Definition An inorganic chemical group consisting of a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms, utilized to store energy and toggle protein activity.
Mentioned In
- Processphosphorylation
- Proteinkinase
Scientific Sources & Literature Citations
- [1] Book / Monograph Nelson DL, Cox MM. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. 8th ed. 2021. ↗
"Phosphate groups participate in regulatory phosphorylation cascades."