Related Words

Polysaccharide: A carbohydrate consisting of a large number of linked monosaccharide units. Examples of polysaccharides are cellulose and starch.

Polysaccharides: Long chains of monosaccharide units bonded together; e.g., glycogen, starch, and cellulose.

Primary Cell Wall: The cell wall outside the plasma membrane that surrounds plant cells; composed of the polysaccharide cellulose.

Glycoproteins: Polysaccharides formed of sugars linked to proteins. On the outer surface of a membrane, they act as receptors for molecular signals originating outside the cell.

Starch: A polysaccharide used by plants to stockpile glucose molecules. The most common forms are amylose and amylopectin.

Glycolipids: Polysaccharides formed of sugars linked to lipids, a part of the cell membrane.

Glycogen: The principle form of carbohydrate energy (glucose) stored within the bodies muscles and liver.

Cellulose: Indigestible fibre in foods.

Chitin: A polysaccharide contained in fungi; also forms part of the hard outer covering of insects.

Desmosome: A circular region of membrane cemented to an adjacent membrane by a molecular glue made of polysaccharides; found in tissues that undergo stretching.