Polysaccharides

CARBOHYDRATES

1
Polysaccharides
 Polysaccharides are also called as glycans.

 Made up of large number of monosaccharides

linked by glycosidic linkages.

 Smaller glycans are called as oligosaccharides

(10-15 monomers) found attached to popypeptides
in glycoproteins and some glycolipids.

 Found in membrane and secretary proteins.

2
Polysaccharides - Classification

Homoglycans

Polysaccharides

Heteroglycans

3
Polysaccharides - Classification

Structural
Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides

Storage
Polysaccharides

4
 Homoglycans

Polysaccharides
Homoglycans
 Found in starch, glycogen, cellulose and
chitin.
 Starch –energy storage molecule in
plants.
 Glycogen –energy storage molecule in
animals.
 Chitin – component of exoskeleton of
insects, cell wall of fungi, yields glucose
derivative N-acetylglucosamine when
hydrolyzed.
6
Starch
-Storage Polysaccharides
 Significant source of carbohydrate in
human diet.
 Source- potatoes, rice, wheat, corn.

Amylose

Starch

Amylopetin
7
Amylose
 Composed of long,
unbranched chains of
S-glucose residues
that are linked by
(1,4) glycosidic
bonds.
 Have one reducing
end in which the ring
can open to form free
aldehyde group with
reducing properties.

8
Amylose
 Contains several thousand glucose
residues has molecular weight 150,000
to 600,000.

 Gives blue colour with iodine due to

interaction between iodine molecules
and the helically arranged glucose
rsidues.

9
Amylopectin
 is branched polymer
containing (1,4)
and (1,6)glycosidic
linkages.
 The (1,6) points
may occur every 20
to 35 residues and
prevent helix
formation.

10
 Starch digestion begins in the mouth where
the salivary enzyme - amylase initiates
hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds.

 Digestion continues in the small intestine

where pancreatic -amylase hydrolyzes all
the (1,4) glycosidic bonds except the
branch points.

11
Starch - Structure

12
Glycogen
-Storage Polysaccharides
 Storage carbohydrate in vertebrates.

 Found in liver and skeletal muscle.

 Structure similar to amylopectin except that

it has more branch point possibly at every
fourth glucose residue.

13
Glycogen - Structure

14
Glycogen - Structure

15
Cellulose
Structural Polysaccharides

 Polymer of D-glucopyranose residues

linked by (1,4) glycosidic bonds.
Unbranched

 Structural polysaccharide in plants.

16
Cellulose - Structure

17
 The ability to digest cellulose is found in
microorganism which contain the enzyme
cellulase.

 Cellulose can be hydrolyzed to its constituent

glucose units by microorganisms that inhabit
the digestive tract of termites and ruminants.

 Cellulose makes up dietary fiber.

 Paper, wood, textiles are some of cellulose

containing products.

18
Chitin
-Structural Polysaccharide
 Chitin is an unbranched polymer of N-Acetyl-
D-glucosamine.

 It is found in fungi and is the principal

component of arthropod and lower animal
exoskeletons, e.g., insect, crab, and shrimp
shells.

 It may be regarded as a derivative of

cellulose

19
Chitin - Structure

20
 Heteroglycans

POLYSACCHARIDES

21
Heteroglycans
 High molecular weight carbohydrate
polymers that contain more than one
kind of monosaccharides.

 Major classes found in animals are N

and O-linked glycans attached to
proteins.

22
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)
 Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are large
complexes of negatively charged
heteropolysaccharide chains.

 They are generally associated with a

small amount of protein, forming
proteoglycans, which typically consist of
over 95% carbohydrate.

23
Structure of Glycosaminoglycans
 A single exception is keratan sulfate, in
which galactose rather than an acidic
sugar is present.

 These acidic sugars contain carboxyl

groups.

24
Functions of GAGs
 Because of their large number of negative
charges, these heteropolysaccharide
chains tend to be extended in solution.

 They repel each other, and are surrounded

by a shell of water molecules.

 This produces the “slippery” consistency of

mucous secretions and synovial fluid.

25
Classification of the glycosaminoglycans

 The six major classes of

glycosaminoglycans are divided according
to monomeric composition, type of
glycosidic linkages, and degree and
location of sulfate units.

26
Structure and distribution of
glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).

27
Hyaluronic Acid
 Hyaluronate molecules may consist of
as many as 25,000 disaccharide units,
with molecular weights of up to 107.

 Hyaluronates are important components

of the vitreous humor in the eye and of
synovial fluid, the lubricant fluid of joints
in the body.

28
 The chondroitins and keratan sulfate are
found in tendons, cartilage, and other
connective tissue, whereas dermatan
sulfate, as its name implies, is a
component of the extracellular matrix of
skin.

 Heparin, with the highest net negative

charge of the disaccharides shown, is a
natural anticoagulant substance.

29
Proteoglycans
 High carbohydrate content (about 95%).

 Occur on cell surfaces or are secreted

into extracellular matrix.

 All of the glycosaminoglycans, except

hyaluronic acid, are found covalently
attached to protein, forming
proteoglycan monomers.

30
Structure of proteoglycan monomers
 A proteoglycan monomer found in cartilage
consists of a core protein to which the linear
glycosaminoglycan chains are covalently
attached.
 These chains composed of more than 100
monosaccharides repulsion.
 The resulting structure resembles a “bottle
brush”.

31
“Bottle-brush” model of a cartilage
proteoglycan monomer.

 A proteoglycan
monomer found in
cartilage consists of a
core protein to which
the linear
glycosaminoglycan
chains are covalently
attached.

32
Proteoglycans
 Proteoglycans
consist of a protein
core (brown) and
one or more
covalently attached
glycosaminoglycan
chains ([blue].

33
34
Examples of proteoglycans
 Examples include syndecans,
glycipcans and affrecans

 The syndecans are a class of heparan

sulfate and chondroitin sulfate
containing proteoglycans in which the
core protein is a transmembrane protein.

 Aggregans is found in cartilage.

35
Mucopolysaccharidoses
 The mucopolysaccharidoses are hereditary
disorders (1:25,000 births) that are clinically
progressive.
 characterized by accumulation of
glycosaminoglycans
 Mucopolysaccharidoses are caused by a
deficiency of any one of the lysosomal
hydrolases

36
Functions of Proteoglcans
 Organizing extracellular matrix.

 Membrane bound syndecans, glycipcans

bind to specific signal molecules like
growth factors involved in cell cycle
regulation.

 Give strength, flexibility to cartilage and

tensile strength to collagen fibers.

37
Polysaccharides linked to polypeptides

38
Differences between Glycoproteins and
Proteoglycans

 They differ from the proteoglycans (which

might be considered a special case of
glycoproteins) in that the length of the
glycoprotein's carbohydrate chain is
relatively short (usually 2–10 sugar residues
in length, although they can be longer).

39
Differences between Glycoproteins and
Proteoglycans
 In addition, whereas
glycosaminoglycans have diglucosyl
repeat units, the carbohydrates of
glycoproteins do not have serial repeats.

 The glycoprotein carbohydrate chains

are often branched instead of linear, and
may or may not be negatively charged.

40
Functions of glycoproteins
 cellular phenomena, including cell surface recognition (by
other cells, hormones (insulin receptors), and viruses)

 cell surface antigenicity (such as the blood group

antigens)

 components of the extracellular matrix

 components of the mucins of the gastrointestinal and

urogenital tracts, where they act as protective biologic
lubricants.

41
Functions of Glycoproteins

42
43