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Glite Dictionary
phosphatase

phosphatase

2 8.7
An enzyme that removes a phosphate group from other molecules
  • noun
  • /ˈfɑs.fə.teɪs/
  • Specialized
: fosfatasa
  • Her serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was elevated to twice the normal value, while the rest of her tests were normal.
  • alkaline phosphatase
  • serum alkaline phosphatase
  • phosphatase level

Alkaline phosphatase went up in the high fruit group.

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Examples

  • Alkaline phosphatase levels are used to assess liver health in patients.

  • The most promising treatment for AKI in patients with sepsis is the recombinant human alkaline phosphatase, which is currently being tested in a phase 2b study.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Alkaline phosphatase went up in the high fruit group.

    KenDBerryMD

  • Alkaline phosphatase potentially positive; low quality; large trial ongoing.

    Academic text (2016)

  • An untreated patient will have an elevated alkaline phosphatase level.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Hypercalcemia is often discovered incidentally during routine laboratory testing; hypophosphatemia and increased alkaline phosphatase levels in blood may also be seen.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Serum levels of calcium, alkaline phosphatase, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone were within normal limits.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Elevations of the bone isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase may further delineate Paget's disease as a diagnostic consideration (Pagana & Pagana, 2003).

    Academic text (2004)

  • Doctors often measure phosphatase activity to monitor bone diseases.

  • Elevated serum phosphatase can indicate issues with bile flow in the liver.

Surface Forms

phosphatase singular
phosphatases plural

Morphology

phosphatase = phosphate (semi-transparent) = phosphate + ase

Formed from 'phosphate' + the biochemical suffix '-ase' meaning an enzyme acting on phosphates; the meaning is systematic but '-ase' is specialized and may be unfamiliar to general learners.

Etymology

Phosphatase comes from phosphate, the chemical 'phosphate' group, and the enzyme ending -ase, as in lactase, which means 'an enzyme that acts on' something. So a phosphatase is an enzyme that 'removes' a phosphate group from a molecule, which explains its role in many cell reactions.