dickkopf

dick·kopf
D2I1C3K5K5O1P3F4
UK/ˈdɪkˌkɒpf/US/ˈdɪkˌkɑ(p)f/US/-ˌkɔ(p)f/

noun

Any of a family of glycoproteins that are involved in the development of the embryo.

First used 1998Scrabble 24

Meanings

noundickkopf (plural dickkopfs)

plural dickkopfs

  1. biochemistryAny of a family of glycoproteins that are involved in the development of the embryo.First known use 1998

    Oncogenic mutations in the human genome disable of the 'β-catenin-destroyer complex' and delete the dickkopfs.

    2016, Joseph G. Sinkovics, “Eukaryotic Single Cells and the First Cell Communities Then and Now”, in RNA/DNA and Cancer, Cham, Switzerland: Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, page 81
    2 more examples

    Here we describe dickkopf-1 (dkk-1), which encodes Dkk-1, a secreted inducer of Spemann's organizer in Xenopus and a member of a new protein family.

    [1998 January 22, Andrei Glinka et al., “Dickkopf-1 is a Member of a New Family of Secreted Proteins and Functions in Head Induction”, in Nature, volume 391, number 6665, London: Nature Research, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, abstract, page 357

    Some of the factors tested included: angiopoietin like protein 7 (ANGLPT7), epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF β 2), platelet derived growth factor b (PDGFB), and dickkopf related protein 2 (DKK2).

    2015 December 22, Kathryn L. McCabe et al., “Efficient Generation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-derived Corneal Endothelial Cells by Directed Differentiation”, in PLOS ONE, volume 10, number 12, San Francisco, Calif.: PLOS, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, article number e0145266

Origin

  1. GermanDickkopf“stubborn person”
  2. Englishdickkopf

Borrowed from German Dickkopf (“stubborn person”, literally “thick head”), from the fact that Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), one of the dickkopf proteins, was found to be required for head formation in embryos. The word was coined by Andrei Glinka, Wei Wu, Hajo Delius, A. Paula Monaghan, Claudia Blumenstock, and Christof Niehrs in a 1998 article published in Nature: see the quotation.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish Dickkopf-proteiini, DKK-proteiini
  • Dickkopf-proteiiniany of a family of glycoproteins that is involved in the development of the embryo
  • DKK-proteiiniany of a family of glycoproteins that is involved in the development of the embryo
French dickkopf
  • dickkopfany of a family of glycoproteins that is involved in the development of the embryo
Cite this entry
APA

dickkopf. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dickkopf

MLA

“dickkopf.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dickkopf. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dickkopf,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dickkopf.

Source: dickkopf on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.