sialic acid
noun
: any of a group of reducing amido acids that are essentially carbohydrates and are found especially as components of blood glycoproteins and mucoproteins
Examples of sialic acid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Animals such as birds and humans have different docking stations on their cells — known as sialic acid receptors.
—
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Flu viruses enter cells by attaching to sugars that stick up from their surfaces called sialic acids.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Birds have an abundance of a kind of sialic acid called alpha 2,3, but humans primarily have alpha 2,6 sialic acids, particularly in the nose, throat and lungs.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Influenza viruses bind well to certain cell surface carbohydrates called sialic acids, which vary by species.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
The results are potentially important but also preliminary, Beer cautions, noting that distinguishing between some types of sialic acids can be difficult.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
Like different picks in a locksmith’s tool, the 17 known subtypes of hemagglutinin, a surface protein on influenza strains, match different sialic acid receptors on a host cell.
—Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 1 Nov. 2013
In the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers genetically modified mice to resemble humans in the deficiency of a sialic acid called Neu5Gc.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Sep. 2019
This type of linkage makes the sialic acid and galactose stick straight up.
—Quanta Magazine, 25 Feb. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Flu viruses enter cells by attaching to sugars that stick up from their surfaces called sialic acids.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Birds have an abundance of a kind of sialic acid called alpha 2,3, but humans primarily have alpha 2,6 sialic acids, particularly in the nose, throat and lungs.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Influenza viruses bind well to certain cell surface carbohydrates called sialic acids, which vary by species.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
The results are potentially important but also preliminary, Beer cautions, noting that distinguishing between some types of sialic acids can be difficult.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
Like different picks in a locksmith’s tool, the 17 known subtypes of hemagglutinin, a surface protein on influenza strains, match different sialic acid receptors on a host cell.
—Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 1 Nov. 2013
In the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers genetically modified mice to resemble humans in the deficiency of a sialic acid called Neu5Gc.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Sep. 2019
This type of linkage makes the sialic acid and galactose stick straight up.
—Quanta Magazine, 25 Feb. 2020
Dictionary Entries Near sialic acid
Cite this Entry
“Sialic acid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sialic%20acid. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sialic acid
noun
si·al·ic acid
(ˌ)sī-ˌal-ik- 
: any of a group of reducing amido acids that are essentially carbohydrates and are found especially as components of blood glycoproteins and mucoproteins
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share