polysakkarideilla

Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates composed of long chains of monosaccharide units linked together by glycosidic bonds. They are a fundamental class of biomolecules found in living organisms and play crucial roles in energy storage, structural support, and cellular recognition.

In plants, starch is the primary storage polysaccharide, consisting of glucose units linked in either alpha-1,4 or alpha-1,6 glycosidic bonds. Cellulose, another abundant plant polysaccharide, serves as a structural component of cell walls and is made of beta-1,4 linked glucose units, which is indigestible by most animals due to the different bond type. Glycogen is the main storage polysaccharide in animals and fungi, storing glucose in a highly branched structure primarily in the liver and muscles.

Other important polysaccharides include chitin, a structural polysaccharide found in the exoskeletons of arthropods and the cell walls of fungi, and peptidoglycans, which form the rigid cell walls of bacteria. Many polysaccharides are also involved in cell-cell communication and immune responses. Their properties, such as solubility and viscosity, depend on their molecular weight, branching pattern, and the types of monosaccharides and glycosidic linkages present.