of or relating to a molecule that possesses both hydrophobic and hydrophilic elements, such as are found in detergents, or phospholipids of biological membranes
amphipathic in American English
(ˌæmfəˈpæθɪk)
adjective
Chemistry(of a molecule)
having two different affinities, as a polar end that is attracted to water and a nonpolar end that is repelled by it
Word origin
[1970–75; amphi- + -pathic]This word is first recorded in the period 1970–75. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Heimlich maneuver, cornrow, postmodernism, relational database, urban legendamphi- is a prefix occurring in loanwords from Greek (amphibious). On this model, amphi- is used with the meaning “two,” “both,” “on both sides,” in the formation of compoundwords. Other words that use the affix amphi- include: amphicarpous, amphigory, amphiphile, amphiploid, amphora
Examples of 'amphipathic' in a sentence
amphipathic
These amphipathic α-helices could enable design of molecules for inhibiting α-helix mediated protein-protein interactions.
Sandeep Chakraborty 2016, 'Computational analysis of perturbations in the post-fusion Dengue virus envelope proteinhighlights known epitopes and conserved residues in the Zika virus [version 2; referees:3 approved]', F1000Researchhttp://f1000research.com/articles/5-1150/v2. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Amphipathic α-helical antimicrobial peptides comprise a class of broad-spectrum agents that are used against pathogens.
Huang Jin-Jiang, Lu Jin-Chun, Lu Min, Huang Qing-Shan, Li Guo-Dong 2012, 'The Design and Construction of K11: A Novel α-Helical Antimicrobial Peptide', International Journal of Microbiologyhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/764834. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Animal cells take in amphipathic glycosides, which are later glycosylated after assimilation in biosynthetic pathways.
Miyagawa Atsushi, Kasuya Maria, Hatanaka Kenichi 2007, 'Alternative methods of globotrioside production using Vero cells: a microcarrier systemprocedure', Chemistry Central Journalhttp://journal.chemistrycentral.com/content/1/1/26. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Its amphipathic character was shown to be essential for viral replication.
Yu-Fu Hung, Olga Valdau, Sven Schünke, Omer Stern, Bernd W Koenig, Dieter Willbold,Silke Hoffmann 2014, 'Recombinant production of the amino terminal cytoplasmic region of dengue virus non-structuralprotein 4A for structural studies.', PLoS ONEhttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3900556?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
In conclusion, the amphipathic features of flavonoids play a crucial role in the antibacterial activity.
Javier Echeverría, Julia Opazo, Leonora Mendoza, Alejandro Urzúa, Marcela Wilkens 2017, 'Structure-Activity and Lipophilicity Relationships of Selected Antibacterial NaturalFlavones and Flavanones of Chilean Flora', Moleculeshttp://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/4/608. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Bile acids are amphipathic molecules synthesized from cholesterol in the liver.
Tiangang Li, John Y. L. Chiang 2009, 'Regulation of Bile Acid and Cholesterol Metabolism by PPARs', PPAR Researchhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2009/501739. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
These small, amphipathic proteins self-assemble into highly stable monolayers at hydrophilic-hydrophobic interfaces.
Stefan Hennig, Gerhard Rödel, Kai Ostermann 2016, 'Hydrophobin-Based Surface Engineering for Sensitive and Robust Quantification of YeastPheromones', Sensorshttp://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/16/5/602. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
We provide further evidence that this domain contains amphipathic helices using a membrane-impermeable reagent.
Lincoln T Lewerke, Paige J Kies, Ute Müh, Craig D Ellermeier 2018, 'Bacterial sensing: A putative amphipathic helix in RsiV is the switch for activatingσV in response to lysozyme.', PLoS Geneticshttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6066255?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
We provide evidence that this domain contains putative amphipathic helices.
Lincoln T Lewerke, Paige J Kies, Ute Müh, Craig D Ellermeier 2018, 'Bacterial sensing: A putative amphipathic helix in RsiV is the switch for activatingσV in response to lysozyme.', PLoS Geneticshttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6066255?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
It was confirmed that these peptides tend to assume an amphipathic conformation regardless of the environment.
Ilaria Passarini, Sharon Rossiter, John Malkinson, Mire Zloh 2018, 'In Silico Structural Evaluation of Short Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides', Pharmaceuticshttp://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/10/3/72. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)