Glycoconjugates

Glycoconjugate (from γλυκυς ( glykys ) sweet , and Latin conjugare , to connect ) is the name of a class of macromolecular chemical compounds that consist of carbohydrate building blocks ( saccharides ) and proteins ( proteins ). They are therefore also known as protein-bound complex carbohydrates .

The most important glycoconjugates are the glycoproteins , which fulfill a wide variety of functions in the organism. They mostly serve as components ( structural proteins ) of cell membranes and connective tissues ( proteoglycans ).

In some cases, the term is also used generally for the class of oligomeric and polymeric compounds with a carbohydrate content and serves as a superordinate category for polysaccharides , glycoproteins and glycolipids .

literature

• Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Lubert Stryer : Biochemistry. 6 edition, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg 2007. ISBN 978-3-8274-1800-5 .
• Donald Voet, Judith G. Voet: Biochemistry. 3rd edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York 2004. ISBN 0-471-19350-X .
• Bruce Alberts , Alexander Johnson, Peter Walter, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts: Molecular Biology of the Cell , 5th Edition, Taylor & Francis 2007, ISBN 978-0815341062 .