myosin

noun

my·​o·​sin ˈmī-ə-sən How to pronounce myosin (audio)
: a fibrous globulin of muscle that can split ATP and that reacts with actin in muscle contraction to form actomyosin

Examples of myosin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For the study, researchers compared the myosin fibers in facial muscle samples from wolves and domesticated dogs. People Staff, PEOPLE.com, 6 Apr. 2022 Our muscles contract when a protein called myosin climbs along a microfibre, crunching it more tightly—each step along the fibre costs one ATP. James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2022 Academic researchers discovered the roots of that condition, called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in genetic mutations to a protein called myosin. Jared S. Hopkins, WSJ, 26 July 2022 The muscles of all mammals, humans and dogs included, are made of millions of fibers of a protein called myosin. NBC News, 5 Apr. 2022 Actin and myosin, the proteins of muscles, permit those bodies to move around. The Economist, 30 Nov. 2020 Matsuno agrees that myosins are likely causing cell handedness. Tim Vernimmen, Quanta Magazine, 31 Jan. 2017 Nearly all multicellular animals, except for simple ones like sponges, depend on muscles to move, and all their muscles use some form of contracting fibers in which filaments of the proteins actin and myosin pull past one another to generate force. Quanta Magazine, 13 June 2018 Hundreds or thousands of amino acids are linked together to form proteins such as insulin, collagen, dystrophin, myosin, and the thousands of others needed for life. Sharon Begley, STAT, 1 May 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'myosin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary my- + -ose entry 2 + -in entry 1

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of myosin was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near myosin

Cite this Entry

“Myosin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myosin. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

myosin

noun
my·​o·​sin ˈmī-ə-sən How to pronounce myosin (audio)
: a protein of muscle that with actin is active in muscular contraction

Medical Definition

myosin

noun
my·​o·​sin ˈmī-ə-sən How to pronounce myosin (audio)
1
2
: a fibrous globulin of muscle that can split ATP and that reacts with actin to form actomyosin

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