Chapter 10: Carbohydrates and Glycoproteins

These flashcards cover key concepts from the lecture on carbohydrates and glycoproteins, providing definitions and explanations for important terms.

Carbohydrates

Organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, commonly used for energy storage and structural functions in living organisms.

Monosaccharides

The simplest form of carbohydrates, consisting of single sugar molecules like glucose and fructose.

Polysaccharides

Complex carbohydrates formed by long chains of monosaccharides linked together, such as starch and glycogen.

Oligosaccharides

Short chains of monosaccharides that are created by the linkage of two or more sugars through glycosidic bonds.

Glycoproteins

Proteins that have carbohydrates covalently attached to them, playing roles in cell recognition and signaling.

Lectins

Proteins that specifically bind carbohydrates and are involved in cell–cell interactions.

Isomerism

The phenomenon where compounds with the same molecular formula exist in different structural forms.

Glycosidic Linkage

The covalent bond formed between a carbohydrate and another molecule, typically another sugar.

Reducing Sugar

A sugar that can donate electrons or reduce another compound; often characterized by the presence of a free aldehyde or ketone group.

Glycation

A non-enzymatic reaction between sugars and proteins or lipids, potentially altering their function.

N-linked Oligosaccharides

Carbohydrates attached to proteins through an amide nitrogen of asparagine side chains.

Proteoglycans

Proteins composed predominantly of glycosaminoglycans, having roles in structural support and cell signaling.

Diabetes mellitus

A metabolic disorder characterized by persistent high blood sugar levels due to insulin deficiency or resistance.

Anomeric Carbon

The carbon atom in a carbohydrate that is derived from the carbonyl carbon in either the linear form or cyclic form.

Hemagglutinin

A viral protein that allows a virus like influenza to bind to sialic acid on the host cell surface.

Sialic Acid

A family of nine-carbon sugars that are often present at the outermost end of sugar chains on glycoproteins.

Glycosylation

The process where carbohydrates are covalently attached to proteins or lipids, affecting their function.

Starch

A polysaccharide that serves as a primary energy storage form in plants.

Glycogen

A polysaccharide that serves as the primary energy storage form in animals, mainly in liver and muscle tissues.

Cellulose

A polysaccharide that is the main component of the cell wall in plants, providing structural support.

Chitin

A structural polysaccharide found in the exoskeletons of arthropods and the cell walls of fungi.

Amylose and Amylopectin

The two forms of starch, where amylose is unbranched and amylopectin is branched.

Glycosyltransferases

Enzymes that catalyze the formation of glycosidic linkages, vital for oligosaccharide assembly.

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)

Compounds formed when sugars react with proteins or lipids, believed to contribute to various diseases.

Glucosinolates

A class of glycosides produced by plants as a defense mechanism, particularly in the Brassicales order.

D-glycero-D-manno-heptose

A 7-carbon sugar linking different aspects of glycosylation pathways.

Club cells

Also known as Clara cells in the lung, significant in the metabolism of exogenous substances.

Carbohydrates

Organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, commonly used for energy storage and structural functions in living organisms.

Monosaccharides

The simplest form of carbohydrates, consisting of single sugar molecules like glucose and fructose.

Polysaccharides

Complex carbohydrates formed by long chains of monosaccharides linked together, such as starch and glycogen.

Oligosaccharides

Short chains of monosaccharides that are created by the linkage of two or more sugars through glycosidic bonds.

Glycoproteins

Proteins that have carbohydrates covalently attached to them, playing roles in cell recognition and signaling.

Lectins

Proteins that specifically bind carbohydrates and are involved in cell–cell interactions.

Isomerism

The phenomenon where compounds with the same molecular formula exist in different structural forms.

Glycosidic Linkage

The covalent bond formed between a carbohydrate and another molecule, typically another sugar.

Reducing Sugar

A sugar that can donate electrons or reduce another compound; often characterized by the presence of a free aldehyde or ketone group.

Glycation

A non-enzymatic reaction between sugars and proteins or lipids, potentially altering their function.

N-linked Oligosaccharides

Carbohydrates attached to proteins through an amide nitrogen of asparagine side chains.

Proteoglycans

Proteins composed predominantly of glycosaminoglycans, having roles in structural support and cell signaling.

Diabetes mellitus

A metabolic disorder characterized by persistent high blood sugar levels due to insulin deficiency or resistance.

Anomeric Carbon

The carbon atom in a carbohydrate that is derived from the carbonyl carbon in either the linear form or cyclic form.

Hemagglutinin

A viral protein that allows a virus like influenza to bind to sialic acid on the host cell surface.

Sialic Acid

A family of nine-carbon sugars that are often present at the outermost end of sugar chains on glycoproteins.

Glycosylation

The process where carbohydrates are covalently attached to proteins or lipids, affecting their function.

Starch

A polysaccharide that serves as a primary energy storage form in plants.

Glycogen

A polysaccharide that serves as the primary energy storage form in animals, mainly in liver and muscle tissues.

Cellulose

A polysaccharide that is the main component of the cell wall in plants, providing structural support.

Chitin

A structural polysaccharide found in the exoskeletons of arthropods and the cell walls of fungi.

Amylose and Amylopectin

The two forms of starch, where amylose is unbranched and amylopectin is branched.

Glycosyltransferases

Enzymes that catalyze the formation of glycosidic linkages, vital for oligosaccharide assembly.

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)

Compounds formed when sugars react with proteins or lipids, believed to contribute to various diseases.

Glucosinolates

A class of glycosides produced by plants as a defense mechanism, particularly in the Brassicales order.

D-glycero-D-manno-heptose

A 7-carbon sugar linking different aspects of glycosylation pathways.

Club cells

Also known as Clara cells in the lung, significant in the metabolism of exogenous substances.

Disaccharides

Carbohydrates formed by the linkage of two monosaccharide units, such as sucrose, lactose, and maltose.

Aldoses and Ketoses

Classifications of monosaccharides based on the position of their carbonyl group, with aldoses having an aldehyde group and ketoses having a ketone group.

Alpha- and Beta-Glycosidic Linkages

Types of covalent bonds between monosaccharides, differing in the stereochemistry at the anomeric carbon, influencing the structure and digestibility of polysaccharides.

Epimers

Stereoisomers that differ in configuration at only one chiral center, often observed in carbohydrates (e.g., glucose and galactose).