What Is the Role of Glycoproteins and Glycolipids?
Reference.com states that a glycoprotein is an integral membrane protein that is responsible in aiding interactions between cells. Glycolipids are used for energy and marking recognition in cells.
According to Reference.com, glycoproteins are made up of both a protein and a carbohydrate. Glycoproteins appear in many different beings and are an important part of the tissues of mammals. The carbohydrate within the glycoprotein has many occupations, including stabilization of proteins, controlling solubility, controlling viscosity and orientation. The carbohydrate is usually a sugar of eight to 10 monosaccharide units. A large amount of proteins released by cells into the bloodstream are glycoproteins. A set of glycoproteins also contains blood group determinants. Glycoprotein solutions are usually high in viscosity. Some mammalian glycoproteins are glucose, glucosamine, galactose, galactosamine, mannose, fucose and sialic acid.
Reference.com notes that glycolipids are lipids attached to carbohydrates. They exist on the exoplasmic surface of the cell membrane where the carbohydrate chain meets phospholipids. The carbohydrates of glycolipids are generally found on the outside of eukaryote cell membranes. Glycolipids can be useful in the recognition of certain chemicals, maintaining membrane stability and forming tissues. Types of glycolipids include galactolipids, sulfolipids, glycosphingolipids, cerebrosides, galactocerebrosides, glucocerebrosides, glucobicaranateoets, gangliosides, globosides, sulfatides and glycophosphosphingolipids. Gangliosides are known as the most complete glycolipids found in animals, and glycophosphosphingolipids are glycophospholipids found in fungi and plants. Glycophosphosphingolipids were once called “phytoglycolipids” by Herbert Carter.
