chemoattractant

/ ˌkɛməʊəˈtræktənt /

noun

1. a chemical substance that provokes chemotaxis, esp one that causes a bacterium to move in the direction in which its concentration is increasing

Example Sentences

“Chemo” stands for “chemoattractant”—it’s the attractant for white blood cells.

From Scientific American

Once they have broken down a chemoattractant called lysophosphatidic acid locally in the tumor, they move toward higher levels of the molecule away from the tumor.

From Scientific American

When cells faced a choice between a dead end and a true path, a few wayward ones would dispatch all of the chemoattractant trapped in the cul-de-sac, and the rest of them would orient to the other fork that was still flowing with the alluring molecules.

From Scientific American

But released α-synuclein might also have detrimental roles by inducing inflammation directly44, 45, 46, by acting as a chemoattractant that draws inflammatory microglia towards damaged neurons47 or by helping to spread PD pathology.

From Nature

It’s sufficient to separate faster, stronger sperm from the slower, weaker variety, but adding the chemoattractant would make it possible to also select for a sperm with a higher sensitivity to the chemoattractant — yet another important variable to what makes a successful sperm.

From Scientific American