microenvironment

[ mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-muhnt, -vahy-ruhn- ]

noun

1. the environment of a small area or of a particular organism; microhabitat.

microenvironment

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊɪnˌvaɪrənmənt /

noun

1. ecology the environment of a small area, such as that around a leaf or plant

microenvironment

/ mī′krō-ĕn-vī′rən-mənt /

1. The environment of a very small, specific area, distinguished from its immediate surroundings by such factors as the amount of incident light, the degree of moisture, and the range of temperatures. The side of a tree that is shaded from sunlight is a microenvironment that typically supports a somewhat different community of organisms than is found on the side that receives regular light.
2. Also called microhabitat

Other Words From

• mi·cro·en·vi·ron·men·tal [mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-, men, -tl, -vahy-r, uh, n-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of microenvironment¹

First recorded in 1950–55; micro- + environment

Example Sentences

In recent years, new studies, including work by Maximiliano D'Angelo, Ph.D., associate professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys, have noted that NPCs in cancer cells are different, but how these alterations contribute to malignancy and tumor development -- or even how NPCs function in normal cells -- is poorly understood.

From Science Daily

"We need to pay closer attention to T-cell stimulation as they enter the tumor microenvironment," Youngblood said.

From Science Daily

They determined that respiratory epithelial cells do sense and respond to therapeutic phages, and that interactions between phages and epithelial cells are heterogenous in nature -- in that they are dependent on specific phage properties, as well as physiochemical features of the airway microenvironment.

From Science Daily

PET imaging with 124I-αGal-1 showed the immunosuppressive status of the tumor microenvironment, thus enabling the prediction of ICB resistance in advance of treatment.

From Science Daily

"Factors such as low-oxygen levels and immune checkpoints inside solid tumors make for a hostile microenvironment that can strongly suppress immune attack by T cells -- which also have trouble penetrating solid tumors' dense connective tissue network," Dr. Zang said.

From Science Daily