prenylation

This term is a highly specialized technical noun used exclusively within biochemistry and molecular biology. It describes a specific post-translational modification where hydrophobic lipid anchors are attached to proteins, typically to facilitate their attachment to cellular membranes. Because it refers to a specific chemical process, it is used in a formal, scientific register.

As a mass noun referring to a biochemical process, it is treated as uncountable. It does not typically take a plural form in scientific literature, as the term encompasses the entire mechanism of adding prenyl groups regardless of the number of proteins modified.