Starch is a glucose molecule joined by α-1-4 linkage it is the stored form of sugars in plants.Polysaccharides are formed by glycosidic bonding of carbohydrates, and the polymers cellulose, starch, and glycogen are most commonly found in nature.Section Bank B/B Section Passage 11 Question 85 Practice Exam 1 C/P Section Passage 8 Question 43 Practice Exam 1 C/P Section Passage 8 Question 39 Practice Exam 1 C/P Section Passage 8 Question 38 This exoskeleton is made of the macromolecule chitin, which resembles cellulose but is made out of modified glucose units that bear a nitrogen-containing functional group. For instance, arthropods (such as insects and crustaceans) have a hard external skeleton, called the exoskeleton, which protects their softer internal body parts. This gives cellulose its rigidity and high tensile strength.Ĭellulose is specific to plants, but polysaccharides also play an important structural role in non-plant species. These chains cluster together to form parallel bundles that are held together by hydrogen bonds between hydroxyl groups. Cellulose is made up of glucose monomers that are linked by β-1-4 glycosidic bonds. Wood and paper are mostly cellulosic in nature. The cell wall of plants is mostly made of cellulose this provides structural support to the cell. Whenever blood glucose levels decrease, glycogen is broken down to release glucose in a process known as glycogenolysis.Ĭellulose is the most abundant natural biopolymer. Glycogen is the animal equivalent of starch and is a highly branched molecule usually stored in liver and muscle cells. Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in humans and other vertebrates and is made up of monomers of glucose. Amylose is starch formed by unbranched chains of glucose monomers (only α 1-4 linkages), whereas amylopectin is a branched polysaccharide ( α 1-6 linkages at the branch points). The numbers 1-4 and 1-6 refer to the carbon number of the two residues that have joined to form the bond. Starch is made up of glucose monomers that are joined by α 1-4 or α 1-6 glycosidic bonds. Starch is the stored form of sugars in plants and is made up of a mixture of amylose and amylopectin (both polymers of glucose). Starch, glycogen, cellulose, and chitin are primary examples of polysaccharides.
The chain may be branched or unbranched, and it may contain different types of monosaccharides.
Polysaccharides are long chains composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages.Ī long chain of monosaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds is known as a polysaccharide (poly- = “many”).