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Dephosphorylation

Dephosphorylation

Overview
Dephosphorylation is the essential process of removing phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...

 groups from an organic compound
Organic compound
An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as carbonates, simple oxides of carbon and cyanides, as well as the allotropes of carbon, are considered inorganic...

 (as ATP
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleotide that plays an important role in cell biology as a coenzyme, that is, the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...

) by hydrolysis
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which one or more water molecules are split into hydrogen and hydroxide ions, which may go on to participate in further reactions. It is the type of reaction that is used to break down certain polymers, especially those made by step-growth polymerization...

. Its opposite is phosphorylation
Phosphorylation
Phosphorylation is the addition of a phosphate group to a protein or other organic molecule. Phosphorylation turns many protein enzymes on and off, causing or preventing the mechanisms of diseases such as cancer and diabetes....

. It is found in muscle
Muscle
Muscle is the contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...

 movement as well as many other reactions within the body, as well as reactions in plants.
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Encyclopedia
Dephosphorylation is the essential process of removing phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...

 groups from an organic compound
Organic compound
An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as carbonates, simple oxides of carbon and cyanides, as well as the allotropes of carbon, are considered inorganic...

 (as ATP
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleotide that plays an important role in cell biology as a coenzyme, that is, the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...

) by hydrolysis
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which one or more water molecules are split into hydrogen and hydroxide ions, which may go on to participate in further reactions. It is the type of reaction that is used to break down certain polymers, especially those made by step-growth polymerization...

. Its opposite is phosphorylation
Phosphorylation
Phosphorylation is the addition of a phosphate group to a protein or other organic molecule. Phosphorylation turns many protein enzymes on and off, causing or preventing the mechanisms of diseases such as cancer and diabetes....

. It is found in muscle
Muscle
Muscle is the contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...

 movement as well as many other reactions within the body, as well as reactions in plants.

For example, ATP
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleotide that plays an important role in cell biology as a coenzyme, that is, the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...

 is hydrolysed to ADP
Adenosine diphosphate
Adenosine diphosphate, abbreviated ADP, is a nucleotide. It is an ester of pyrophosphoric acid with the nucleoside adenosine. ADP consists of the pyrophosphate group, the pentose sugar ribose, and the nucleobase adenine....

 with the release of energy, phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...

 groups, and ADP
Adenosine diphosphate
Adenosine diphosphate, abbreviated ADP, is a nucleotide. It is an ester of pyrophosphoric acid with the nucleoside adenosine. ADP consists of the pyrophosphate group, the pentose sugar ribose, and the nucleobase adenine....

 in the active transport of sucrose
Sucrose
Sucrose, commonly called table sugar, is a moosaccharide of glucose and fructose with the molecular formula C12H22O11. This white, odorless, crystalline powder has a pleasing, sweet taste. It is best known for its role in human nutrition...

 molecules into a phloem
Phloem
In vascular plants, phloem is the living tissue that carries organic nutrients , particularly sucrose, a sugar, to all parts of the plant where needed. In trees, the phloem is the innermost layer of the bark, hence the name, derived from the Greek word "bark"...

 vessel in a plant.
Also see Phosphatases.