cyclic AMP

[ sahy-klik ey-em-pee, sik lik ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. a cyclic anhydride of adenosine monophosphate formed from adenosine triphosphate by the action of adenylate cyclase: in cellular metabolism, it acts as an intracellular amplifier or second messenger of signals derived from hormones or neurotransmitters.

cyclic AMP

noun

1. cyclic adenosine monophosphate: a constituent of biological cells, responsible for triggering processes that are dependent on hormones

Word History and Origins

Origin of cyclic AMP¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

PDE4B is an enzyme inside cells that breaks down a molecule known as cyclic AMP, which regulates a range of cellular processes.

From Science Daily

Manejwala, F., Kaji, E. & Schultz, R. M. Development of activatable adenylate cyclase in the preimplantation mouse embryo and a role for cyclic AMP in blastocoel formation.

From Nature

Coordination of bacterial proteome with metabolism by cyclic AMP signalling.

From Nature

To this end, they turned to a second drug, ticlopidine, which is normally employed as an anticoagulant and which works by stimulating cyclic AMP.

From Economist

This deception was the result of one of imipramine’s side-effects: stimulation of the production of an intracellular signalling molecule called cyclic AMP.

From Economist