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: 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
Variations in certain genes, especially myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) and apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1), can increase the risk of kidney failure among communities of color and communities that have fewer resources.
—Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 30 Sep. 2024
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
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Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary my- + -ose entry 2 + -in entry 1
First Known Use
1942, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near myosin
Cite this Entry
“Myosin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myosin. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
myosin
noun
my·o·sin
ˈmī-ə-sən
: a protein of muscle that with actin is active in muscular contraction
Medical Definition
myosin
noun
my·o·sin
ˈmī-ə-sən
1
2
: a fibrous globulin of muscle that can split ATP and that reacts with actin to form actomyosin
More from Merriam-Webster on myosin
Nglish: Translation of myosin for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of myosin for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about myosin
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