The phrase "asking upstream" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where one is seeking information or clarification from a higher authority or source within a hierarchy or process.
Example: "If you're unsure about the project requirements, I recommend asking upstream to get the necessary details from the management team."
Alternatives: "inquire from higher-ups" or "seek clarification from above".
Having identified Cox-2 as an important regulator of the invasiveness of MCF-7/DOX cells, we next asked which upstream pathway modulates the expression of Cox-2 and how the invasive activities increased doxorubicin-resistant cancer in this study.
Having identified Cox-2 as an important regulator of invasiveness of MCF-7/DOX cells, we next asked which upstream pathway modulates the expression of Cox-2 in this cell line.
While health behaviors often do vary across groups, ecosocial (65, 66) and social ecological (67) frameworks prompt us to ask what upstream factors might be responsible for these variations.
In that regard the commission plans to take marine concerns upstream, asking even Americans in the heartland to share the direct costs of protecting coastal areas.
Next we asked whether variability upstream of mitochondria can explain cell-to-cell fluctuations in Td.
The first question we asked was whether upstream (initiator) caspases were cleaved during HSV-1 infection.
Corporate and institutional buyers of everything from carpets to car parts are looking upstream for solutions, asking suppliers to, variously, reduce or eliminate packaging, eliminate toxic materials, use more organic or biobased ingredients, and take other measures to green up their products and operations.
When asking whether H3K4me2-modifications appearsignificantlyly more at the upstream end of the gene, there is a high proportion of very low P-values.
We explored the translatability of signals between different layers of transduction pathways by asking whether gene expression measurements are sufficient to predict upstream changes in protein phosphorylation.
I'm asking him to swim a river, though it might be upstream".
