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For many monosaccharides (including glucose), the cyclic forms predominate, in the solid state and in solutions, and therefore the same name commonly is used for the open- and closed-chain isomers. Thus, for example, the term "glucose" may signify glucofuranose, glucopyranose, the open-chain form, or a mixture of the three.
Monosaccharides are classified according to three different characteristics: the placement of its carbonyl group, the number of carbon atoms it contains, and its chiral handedness. If the carbonyl group is an aldehyde, the monosaccharide is an aldose; if the carbonyl group is a ketone, the monosaccharide is a ketose.
All cells are coated in either glycoproteins or glycolipids, both of which help determine cell types. [7] Lectins, or proteins that bind carbohydrates, can recognize specific oligosaccharides and provide useful information for cell recognition based on oligosaccharide binding. [citation needed]
[2] [3] Natural saccharides are generally composed of simple carbohydrates called monosaccharides with general formula (CH 2 O) n where n is three or more. Examples of monosaccharides are glucose, fructose, and glyceraldehyde. [4] Polysaccharides, meanwhile, have a general formula of C x (H 2 O) y where x and y are usually large numbers between ...
When a few (around three to six) monosaccharides are joined, it is called an oligosaccharide (oligo-meaning "few"). These molecules tend to be used as markers and signals, as well as having some other uses. [39] Many monosaccharides joined form a polysaccharide. They can be joined in one long linear chain, or they may be branched.
It is a primary component of cell walls in fungi (especially filamentous and mushroom-forming fungi), the exoskeletons of arthropods such as crustaceans and insects, the radulae, cephalopod beaks and gladii of molluscs and in some nematodes and diatoms. [2] [3] It is also synthesised by at least some fish and lissamphibians. [4]
The saccharide of the glycolipid will bind to a specific complementary carbohydrate or to a lectin (carbohydrate-binding protein), of a neighboring cell. The interaction of these cell surface markers is the basis of cell recognitions, and initiates cellular responses that contribute to activities such as regulation, growth, and apoptosis. [7]
Polysaccharides are considered to be polymers of monosaccharides containing ten or more monosaccharide residues. [2] Polysaccharides have been given trivial names that reflect their origin. [2] Two common examples are cellulose, a main component of the cell wall in plants, and starch, a name derived from the Anglo-Saxon stercan, meaning to ...