polysaccharide

Starch

...e of amylopectine is not, however, simply a linear polysaccharide chain, since occasionally, two glucose units are joined to one in an alpha-1,6 linkage, forming a branch point.Structurally, the starch forms clusters of linear polymers, where the alpha-1,4 linked chains form linear columns of glucose units branchin...

Lichen

...tes, for example crustose lichens sometimes have a polysaccharide layer in the cortex. Although each lichen thallus ...ous lichens, in which the cyanobacteria produce a polysaccharide that absorbs and retains water. External links University of Sydney lichen biology...

Immune system

...ecognizes mannose sugars, which appear only in the polysaccharide coats of bacterium. The most interesting mechanisms of discrimination, however, are not hard-wired --- rather, they involve the immune system learning to recognize non-self. For instance, the plasma membrane of every nucleated cell contains m...

Glycome

... the word sugar , the word glycan and the word polysaccharide can be meaningfully substituted for carbohydrate. Ajit Varki, professor of medicine and cell and molecular biology, and director of the Glycobiology Research and Training Center at the University of California, San Diego has illustrated the scale...

Cellulose

...( C 6 H 10 O 5 ) n is a long-chain polymer polysaccharide carbohydrate , of beta-glucose . It forms the primary structural component of plants and is not digestible by humans . History and Applications Cellulose is a common material in plant cell walls and was first noted as such in 1838. It o...

Antigen

...ibodies . Usually, an antigen is a protein or a polysaccharide , but it can be any type of molecule, even small molecules if coupled to a large carrier ( haptens ). There are several kinds of antigens: Immunogen - Any substance that provokes an immune response (provokes immunity) when introduced into the ...