Functions of polysaccharides, Biology

Assignment Help:

FUNCTIONS OF POLYSACCHARIDES

  • Chitin is a structural component of fungal cell wall and exoskeleton of insects, crustaceans and some other arthropods.
  • Peptidoglycan or Murien is structural component of bacterial cell wall.
  • Mucilage or Slime Sheath is a mucopolysaccharide based viscous solution that is formed outside the body of many aquatic organisms to protect them from rotting effect of water, epiphytes and toxic chemicals. Mucilage may form a capsule around certain bacteria.
  • In plants pectic compounds and in animals hyaluronic acid are used as cell cement.
  • Mucus is a formed from mucoproteins and is meant for protecting lining layers of various tracts in the body from corroding chemicals and harmful microbes e.g., respiratory tract, stomach, intestine, cervix, etc.
  • Glycocalyx is a sugar coating over the cell membrane in animal cells which has several functions like

                     (a) Protection                   (b) Providing shape        (c) Attacting cations

                     (d) Sites for recognition    (e) Sites for receptors    (f) Blood group antigens  (g) Antibodies

  • Heparin is anticoagulant of blood and connective tissue.
  • Hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate provide lubrication to different body parts like tendons, ligaments, skin, connective tissue, joints (as synovial fluid), central nervous system (as cerebrospinal fluid), tissues (interstitial fluid), eyes (vitreous humour), etc.
  • Pectin is used as jellying agent.
  • Agar (from red algae Gelidium, Gracilaria) is used as culture medium, emulsifying and stabilizing agent in dairy products, confectioners and cosmetics.

Monosaccharide test = Benedict's test & Fehling's test

Polysaccharide test = Iodine test

Note :- Galactosemia disease in children can be removed by giving milk less diet.


Related Discussions:- Functions of polysaccharides

Acute diarrhoea, Q. Acute diarrhoea? It must be evident from the table ...

Q. Acute diarrhoea? It must be evident from the table above that acute diarrhoea generally occurs in association with infections, poisons and drugs. Chronic diarrhoea on the ot

Explain bone healing process in nutritional care, Explain Bone Healing Proc...

Explain Bone Healing Process in Nutritional Care? Protein is essential for callus formation, calcification and bone healing especially in cases of orthopaedic surgery. The prot

What do you mean by congenital long qt syndrome, Q. What do you mean by Con...

Q. What do you mean by Congenital Long QT Syndrome? There is a rare group of young patients who suddenly pass out due to a spontaneous ventricular tachycardia and often have fa

Agro industrial-reproductive tract infections, Reproductive tract infection...

Reproductive tract infections The major cause of reproductive tract infections are, improper dry cow nutrition, contamination at calving due to unsanitary calving area; virule

Action of light the basis of the photosynthesis process, Is it correct to c...

Is it correct to consider water decomposition by the action of light the basis of the photosynthesis process? Besides ADP photophosphorylation, photic energy is also responsibl

Adaptation and learning function of consciousness, Q. Adaptation and learni...

Q. Adaptation and learning function of Consciousness? Adaptation and learning function: Adaptation to novel experiences requires more conscious involvement, for successful lear

Carbohydrate is an organic compound , The Carbohydrate sets are covalently ...

The Carbohydrate sets are covalently attached to various variant proteins to form glycoproteins. Carbohydrates are a shorter percentage of the weight of glycoproteins than of prote

Thermodynamics, Thermodynamics Thermodynamics  tells us that every tran...

Thermodynamics Thermodynamics  tells us that every transformation of matter chemical  transformation is  accompanied with  energy conversion .For example  when complex  molecul

How yersinia enterolytica infection occurs, Normal 0 false fa...

Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 How Yersinia enterol

Is there a exchange of cells between the mother, Is there a exchange of cel...

Is there a exchange of cells between the mother and the fetus through the placenta? Under normal conditions, there is not a passage of cells across the placenta during gestati

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd