7.2 Polysaccharides

Question 1

Mention Some Glycans and Their Intra- and Extracellular Function (and Structure)

Answer 1

Peptidoglycan: components of bacterial cell wall, heteropolymers of N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuraminc acid residues.

Glucosaminoglycans (GAGs): components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). These are heteropolymers of disaccharide units. The units consists of N-acetylglucoseamine or N-acetylgalactoseamin, and (usually) a uronic acid residue.
Types of GAGs: Hyaluronan (residues of D-glucoronic acid and N-acetylglucoseamine), Chondroitin sulfate, Dermatan sulfate, Keratan sulfate, and Heparan sulfate: shorter than hyaluronan, covalently linked to proteins, and different monomer units that hyaluronan. These provide viscosity, adhesiveness, and tensile strenght to the ECM.