Compare answers on Question 4-etthe assignment. Make one generalization about ca

Question

Compare answers on Question 4-etthe assignment. Make one generalization about carbohydrates as a class of molecules. Discuss whether the two forms of glucose shown in the figure below would be equally likely to be the substrate for a given enzyme. Would a D-glyclopyranose and a-D fructofuranose be equally likely to be the substrate for a given enzyme? Refer to both shape and noncovalent interactions in your answer. Make one generalization about protein-carbohydrate interactions. Use the structures of cellulose and amylose you brought to class. What is the same about the two figures? What is different? What stabilizes these structures? What allows for the variety of complex structures seen in carbohydrates? Are carbohydrates more or less structurally versatile than amino acids? How could structural diversity make carbohydrates ideal for intercellular communication?

Explanation / Answer

(I am going to answer part 3 and 4).

1. Similarities between the structure of amylose and cellulose:

2. Differences between cellulose and amylose:

2. The wide variety of complex strucrures seen in carbohydrates are because sugars contain many hydroxyl groups, glycosidic bonds which can join one monosaccharide to another. Oligosaccharides are built by the linkage of two or more monosaccharides by O-glycosidic bonds. In maltose, for example, two d-glucose residues are joined by a glycosidic linkage between the -anomeric form of C-1 on one sugar and the hydroxyl oxygen atom on C-4 of the adjacent sugar. Such a linkage is called an -1,4-glycosidic bond. The fact that monosaccharides have multiple hydroxyl groups means that various glycosidic linkages are possible.

Amino acids are more structurally versatile than carbohydrates because they are able to perform more metabolic functions than carbohydrates. Amino acids are composed of at least 20 diverse amino acids and each of these has unique structural and functional chemical properties. The greater diversity of amino acids compared to carbohydrates is that they have a greater elemental complexity.

Amino acids contain nitrogen and some have sulfur, where as carbohydrates are composed of only carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, and all of these elements that are presented in carbohydrates are also presented in amino acids as well. This is also due to the fact that the primary role for carbohydrates is energy storage.

Structural diversity can make carbohydrates ideal for intercellular communication by creating more complex carbohydrate polymers that can covalently attach to proteins or lipids and act as signals for the intercellular communication. Carbohydrates have many different ways of communicating with the cells due to the fact that lectins promote these interactions by using two or more carbohydrate binding sites.

Amylose Cellulose Amylose is the principle component of starch in plants. Cellulose is the component of distinctive feature of plant cells, its cell wall. Amylose is made up of alpha glucose units joined by 1-4 bonds. Cellulose is made up of beta glucose units joined by 1-4 bonds. Amylose is helix in shape. Cellulose forms long straight chains.

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