The phrase "alter the functioning of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing changes to how something operates or works, often in a technical or scientific context.
Example: "The new software update is designed to alter the functioning of the system to improve efficiency."
Alternatives: "change the operation of" or "modify the performance of".
The right prefrontal cortex, for example, communicates with certain types of immune cells, and stress appears to alter the functioning of a chemical messenger, dopamine, in the region.
When Dr. Jensen started his research at the University of Chicago in the 1950s, steroid hormones, which alter the functioning of cells, were thought to interact with cells through a series of chemical reactions involving enzymes.
Scientists call such effects "the fetal basis of adult disease," and say they probably result from epigenetic changes — meaning that the chemicals alter the functioning of genes, turning them on or off, but do not cause mutations, which are changes in the actual structure of the genes.
Vegetation disturbances are known to alter the functioning of forested ecosystems by contributing to export ("leakage") of dissolved nitrogen (N), typically nitrate-N, from watersheds that can contribute to acidification of acid-sensitive streams, leaching of base cations, and eutrophication of downstream receiving waters.
This effect would ultimately alter the functioning of the cancer cells, where the division of cancer cells can be blocked (Lobikin et al. 2012; Persinger and Lafrenie 2014).
Genetic variants that alter the functioning of ERAP1 could, therefore, have proinflammatory effects through this mechanism.
Several association studies have investigated genetic variants that may alter the functions of genes involved in serotonin functionality and regulation.
I always ask patients about their use of alternative medicines because these substances may alter the function of many organs, especially the thyroid.
"We managed to alter the function of this gateway so that these proteins can no longer get into the red blood cells, starving and killing the parasite".
Cancer-related changes in the genome often include chromosomal rearrangements that can alter the function of genes responsible for regulating cell growth and division.
